Confidence Plays It's Part

Nigel Clough believes that confidence can make a big difference to the results a side can pick up and gives the recent 1-0 defeat to Leicester City as a prime example. The Rams, low on confidence, struggled to get going in the first half and were second best to their Midlands rivals who came into the game on the back of a fine victory against Premiership Norwich City in the FA Cup the weekend before. Whilst Derby didn`t seriously test Kasper Schmeichal in The Foxes goal they did improve in the second half and played out a much more even encounter to fall to the only goal scored during their poor first half. Clough told the Derby Evening Telegraph that this lack of confidence has cost his side in recent close encounters saying:

'Confidence plays a major part. I don't care whether you are talking about Chelsea or Arsenal, or any team. You win a few games and confidence soars, lose a few and it just trickles away."

'Confidence can make that little difference when there is not much in games. We saw that when we played Southampton and Leicester. There wasn't much in the game against Reading but they just had that bit of confidence and quality to tip the result in their favour."

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