Derby County journalist Ryan Conway has been sharing his thoughts on Rams midfielder Krystian Bielik and his importance to the team.
This comes after Conway made a guest appearance on a recent episode of The Totally Football League Show where he spoke about a number of topics concerning the Midlands club.
On the subject of Bielik, who has been out of action since February after he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee, Conway had this to say about the player and his absence from the team. (9.49)
He said: “I truly believe Krystian Bielik is the X-Factor that they’re missing right now. He was so good in the middle of the park there and whether you believe Derby should have spent the £8 million to £10 million on him or not and use that money to retool multiple parts of the squad but with him in there, he is so, so good.
“I mean his first instinct is to always play forwards, he can read runs really well and the ball’s out and it’s on time and it’s where it needs to be and defensively, he’s really switched on, he can block passing lanes really, really well and make things make life really tough for the opposition midfield players.
“Without a doubt, if they had him fit Derby are safe right now, without a doubt.”
Derby signed Bielik back in August 2019 from Premier League club Arsenal in a deal worth a reported fee of £7.38 million.
Since his arrival at the Midlands club, the 23-year-old, who is currently valued at £4.5 million, has made 34 appearances for Derby in which he has managed to score two goals along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Ryan Conway’s comments on Bielik and his absence…
Given how Bielik is currently Derby’s highest-rated player for his performances in the 13 appearances he’s made in the Championship this season with an overall rating of 7.53/10, and the fact that he has won more man of the match awards (4) from WhoScored alongside Graeme Shinnie, than any other Rams player, this just highlights how vital he is to Wayne Rooney’s side.
Has Bielik been a big miss for Derby?
Yes
No
With Derby having just one more match left to play to try and secure their place in the Championship for next season, everyone at the club will undoubtedly be hoping that they can avoid the drop to League One and Bielik can hopefully regain his full fitness and potentially recapture the form that he was showing this season before he picked up his unfortunate injury for Derby’s next campaign.