Liverpool deal has given Derby County a Championship-leading individual | OneFootball

The defender has had a steady start to life at Pride Park, but does seem to be very adept at one key detail.

Derby County's centre-back partnership has picked itself for the last 15 months, with Curtis Nelson and Eiran Cashin forming one of the most formidable defensive pairs in the EFL.

The Rams have had a decent start to the season, finding themselves in 12th place in the Championship after 15 matches, and their strength at the back has seen them become an early contender for a mid-table finisher.

However, Paul Warne has faced one difficult choice since the summer, with Liverpool's Nat Phillips joining the club on loan for the 2024/25 campaign. The 27-year-old has experience in both the Premier League and Championship, and the former Rotherham United boss has had to work out a way to keep him ready to be involved at any point.

While minutes have been hard to come by so far for Phillips, when he has played, he has looked competent, and he has excelled in one area of his game not only more than his teammates at Derby, but also more than the rest of the division.

Phillips leads the way in blocks per 90

The loanee has had to wait his turn for game-time since making the switch to the East Midlands, but he has now started three times for the Rams, with two of those coming in his team's last two matches before the international break.

Cashin found himself suspended for Derby's 1-1 draw with Plymouth Argyle just before the international break, with Phillips deputising for the 23-year-old next to Nelson, playing in a two for the first time in black-and-white.

He had a very solid game against Wayne Rooney's side, and looks to have regained the match sharpness that he seemingly lacked in the weeks prior.

While he did not have too much to do against the Pilgrims, both himself and Nelson built a solid wall in front of Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, and this is where Phillips' strength has been this season, with the ex-Cardiff City man the current leader in the blocks per 90 category, as per FotMob.

He currently averages 1.9 every 90 minutes he plays, 0.3 higher than Watford's Fransisco Sierralta. However, it must be noticed that Derby's candidate in this table has played fewer minutes than all but one of those in the top 10.

Phillips may have to wait his turn again after the international break

While he did put in a good performance against Plymouth last weekend, it seems unlikely that he will start against Preston North End when the Rams return to action unless Warne reverts to a three.

He played that system against Coventry City, and it worked excellently, with the Sky Blues finding it difficult to breakdown Derby's resolute defensive line. Warne's side won their first away game of the season at the CBS Arena, and with another match on the road coming up, he may stick with that plan.

Nevertheless, Cashin will not be dropped for Phillips in the long-run, with the academy graduate one of the leading stars for the East Midlands club's future. If the Liverpool loanee can keep fit, however, he may be able to start to put pressure on his manager to stay with a three-at-the-back formation.

But, even if he does not get the starts that he may believe he deserves, Phillips has shown that he is more than able to make a difference off the bench, and with his current blocking statistics, he could be crucial towards the end of games.