What to expect from John Eustace at Derby County: Background, tactics, play style

Derby County have unveiled John Eustace as the club's new manager after the Rams prised him from fellow Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers.

Succeeding Paul Warne in the Pride Park hotseat and facing the difficult task of preserving Derby's second tier status, we take a look at what the 45-year-old will bring to his new employers.

John Eustace managerial background and achievements

Progressing through the academy ranks at Coventry City, Eustace enjoyed a 19-year playing career which saw him represent the Sky Blues, Stoke City and Watford before hanging up his boots with Derby.

Venturing into coaching following his retirement, the central midfielder unearthed his first managerial role with Kidderminster Harriers in the National League North and immediately won an array of plaudits for the style of play he implemented at the Aggborough Stadium.

Dubbed the "non-league Barcelona", Kidderminster reached the play-offs in successive seasons but failed to convert either attempt into promotion, which prompted Eustace to pursue an assistant manager opportunity alongside his former boss Steve McLaren at QPR.

McLaren was dismissed months later resulting in Eustace undertaking a brief spell as caretaker manager of the London club at the end of the 2018/19 season, where he helped QPR stave off relegation. Mark Warburton was subsequently named the R's manager on a full-time basis in May 2019 but Eustace remained with the club and studied for an UEFA Pro Licence.

Three years later he experienced a brief spell under Stephen Kenny as the Republic of Ireland's assistant coach when a full-time managerial opportunity arose with Birmingham City in July 2022.

Mired in financial trouble and one of the favourites for relegation, Eustace defied the odds to lead the Blues to a 17th-placed finish and their highest points tally in seven years.

Were it not for Eustace preserving their Championship status, Birmingham's takeover by US-based finance company Knighthead Capital may never have come to fruition, although the club's new hierarchy would prove to be his undoing as Eustace was sacked just two months into his second season.

The Solihull-born tactician returned to management four months later as the boss of Blackburn Rovers, who were eager to arrest an alarming slump in form under previous manager Jon Dahl Tomasson.

Eustace's side ultimately done enough to stave off relegation after defeating champions Leicester City on the final day, a result which coincidentally consigned his former club Birmingham to relegation.

Losing star forward Sammie Szmodics in the summer transfer window, Blackburn were tagged as relegation candidates prior to the 2024/25 campaign but with a full pre-season under his belt, Eustace conjured a solution to his Szmodics-shaped absence and had the 1994/95 Premier League champions fighting for a play-off berth at the time of his departure.

John Eustace formation, tactics and philosophy

Across his stints with Birmingham and Blackburn, Eustace has proven himself to be tactically versatile and proactive.

Where Eustace was commended for his free-flowing attacking football whilst at Kidderminster, he had to show greater restraint in his role at Birmingham in order to make them increasingly resilient and difficult to break down.

He instilled a siege mentality amidst the off-field controversy which was plaguing the second city club and the players certainly bought into his methods. Priding themselves on their defensive structure, Eustace still provided an attacking platform from which his creative talents Tahith Chong, Juninho Bacuna and Hannibal Mejbri could express themselves.

At Blackburn he was tasked with reinvigorating a confidence-depleted squad and immediately set about making Rovers watertight. Despite reducing the rate of goals at which they were conceding, he failed to win his first eight fixtures in charge until a remarkable 5-1 triumph away at Sunderland lifted the mood of the Lancashire club.

Eventually retaining Blackburn's Championship status, Eustace set about implementing an attractive brand of football in the subsequent campaign and the rewards were instantaneous.

Blackburn glossed over the departure of talisman Szmodics with an unbeaten start which saw them score 14 goals in their opening seven matches.

While they continued to demonstrate an ability to play neat, incisive football through the lines, Eustace's tactical adaptability came to the fore as the season progressed with Blackburn managing a variety of opposing styles by playing direct and pressing high, or adopting a low block and working on the counter.

Eustace's Rovers ultimately proved to be Leeds United's kryptonite, especially at Elland Road, claiming a 1-0 win last season before further frustrating Daniel Farke's men with a 1-1 draw on New Year's Day this year.

Both results were of a similar blueprint, albeit in alternate shapes with Eustace switching from a 3-4-2-1 to his favoured 4-2-3-1, as the team were comfortable in relinquishing possession, maintaining their rigid defensive shape to restrict chances while offering a dangerous threat on transition.

Who will play under John Eustace?

It's a clear theme in his previous work that Eustace will sacrifice his attacking philosophy in order to establish a system that will best accommodate his personnel and try to prevent them from losing matches.

The former Watford central midfielder does seem to flourish in the face of adversity and Eustace's hands-on approach may galvanise a Derby side in need of a lift as they battle relegation.

Moving away from the wing-back shape implemented by Warne, Eustace prefers a back four with two holding midfielders and the duo expected to fill the double pivot vacancy are Ebou Adams and David Ozoh.

There's options at centre-back with Matthew Clarke, Nat Phillips and Sondre Langas contesting for a starting berth, while Eustace may lean towards Ryan Nyambe's defensive qualities at right-back, providing the Namibian stays fit. Nyambe's inclusion may provide Kane Wilson with a chance to impress further forward.

Who forms Eustace's attack will be of interest and the incoming boss will likely rotate his forward options, although a return to the right flank for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing will provide Derby with a threat from the wide areas.

Lars-Jorgen Salvesen has competition from Jerry Yates to lead the line but there may not be a significant dependency on either striker to produce the goals, with Eustace's Blackburn flaunting 17 different goalscorers this season and he will be looking for similar contributions from all over the pitch.

Possible strongest Derby County starting XI under Eustace (4-2-3-1): Widell Zetterström; Nyambe, Clarke, Langas, Elder; Adams, Ozoh; Mendez-Laing, Goudmijn, Harness; Salvesen.