Five is the magic number for Eustace

At Oxford on Saturday, and for the first half against Norwich at Pride Park on Tuesday, Derby were nowhere near good enough.

What looked to be the biggest problem for the Rams on both occasions was their formation and set-up - starting with a 4-2-3-1 approach, which actually seemed to be executed as more of a 4-2-4.

The Rams looked a man light in midfield and also isolated their wide players with Ben Brereton Diaz and Rhian Brewster left struggling to make an impact on the game.

Repeating the approach from Saturday's disappointing defeat by Oxford made Pride Park a cauldron of hostility in the first half with fans rightfully venting their frustrations at their side struggling to retain possession and lacking in creative ideas when they did get on the ball.

It was clear something needed to change at half-time to ensure the Rams didn't end up with deja vu from the weekend. The hope in the stands was to bring in Norwegian defender Sondre Langas in place of one of the two wide players and switch to a 3-5-2 formation.

Langas has been out of action for Derby since the end of last season, after recovering from surgery on a torn meniscus that he played through at the back end of the last campaign, during the Rams' fight for survival.

His defensive capabilities, quality on the ball, leadership qualities and resilient mentality are all traits Derby have missed so far this season. Having one of the best players at the club back in the squad has been a huge boost.

Head coach John Eustace had clearly heard the fans' calls to action at the interval as he brought the Norwegian on for winger Brewster.

The earlier Pride Park cauldron of hostility quickly turned into a cauldron of hope.

All the frustrations and bored yawns of the first half were a distant memory as one substitution completely shifted the momentum of the game in Derby's favour.

Sharper patterns of play, creating chances through the use of the wingbacks and pressing and winning the ball higher up the pitch saw Derby inevitably go 1-0 up through a superb David Ozoh finish after some excellent perseverance from Patrick Agyemang.

The Rams continued their search for a second, while also standing strong defensively and riding out a couple of threats from the visitors. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom can once again be proud of his performance, after being Derby's best performer at the weekend.

In the end, a resilient effort to manage the game and maintain the one-goal lead was creditable and promising from Derby. It shows that with a slight shuffle to the set-up, we have the capabilities to play a more exciting brand of football, one that I must say the players also look much more comfortable and confident in executing.

In the game against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, I would be disappointed and entirely shocked if Eustace didn't start with a back five after the positive difference it made on Tuesday. I'd also expect to see almost all the same personnel that began the second half against Norwich, barring Ebou Adams who will now unfortunately miss out on the weekend through suspension.

It will be interesting to see, without a fit Lewis Travis or Liam Thompson to replace him, who will get the nod in that midfield role with Ozoh, and how taking Adams out of the line-up may affect the team.

However, if we play with the directness, intensity, desire and quality of Tuesday's second-half display, I can see us causing QPR a few problems at the weekend.

A game that now feels like it can be looked forward to rather than dreaded, after a much improved and promising 45 minutes of football.

You can often catch Amelia Warren as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.