Is Brereton Diaz starting to silence critics?

Ben Brereton Diaz has been a player who has divided opinions amongst the Rams fanbase since he joined on loan from Southampton in the summer.

A rocky start to his Derby career saw the Chile international only score once in 20 appearances. He also failed to register any assists during that time.

This left a portion of fans disappointed and some made their feelings clear in both the stands and on social media.

For me it always looked like he was giving everything. Regularly running himself into the ground, trying to find the right positions to be creative, but just not quite getting the service or having the confidence to produce the finishing touches.

I felt if he could get on the scoresheet in front of a Pride Park crowd, it may just give him that belief to kick on.

Since the Rams played Wrexham at home on 4 January, Brereton Diaz's new found confidence in a Derby shirt has been there for all to see. Starting with an impressive composed finish against Wrexham, he hasn't looked back. Registering a goal contribution in each of Derby's past four fixtures.

From back-to-back instinctive and composed strikes against both Wrexham and Leeds, to a pinpoint accurate cross, and a deft through ball to provide Derby with match-winning moments against both Preston and Charlton.

Brereton Diaz is on fire for the first time in a Derby shirt.

So I suppose that poses the question, why has he had such a sharp upturn in form?

For the majority of the Championship campaign the Rams have been notorious for having less ball possession, no matter who they've come up against.

However in last Saturday's game against Preston, Derby had 48.9% possession. Similarly, in their home defeat by Wrexham, the Rams had 52.2% of the ball.

For me it's no coincidence that Brereton Diaz looked much sharper, and more confident, in both of those matches.

He is definitely a player who is better suited to playing a high press style of football, winning the ball in the opposition's half and having more freedom on both the right hand side, and in central areas.

The less possession Derby have, the less able he is to play to the intensity he'd like to, and the less chances he gets to get on the ball and pose an attacking threat.

The four at the back system against Preston was a prime example of how good he will be, if we can consistently play the system that suits him best.

Having a player like David Ozoh in midfield to go and take the ball off the back four and build up play going forwards, also makes a huge difference to the quality of service that can be provided to not just Brereton Diaz, but all of Derby's attack.

All attacking players strive off confidence, and right now Brereton Diaz should be the most confident player in the entire Derby squad.

Despite his impressive run of form, he now needs to ensure he maintains a level of consistency by providing more regular goal contributions, and match defining moments, for the remainder of the season.

With the four at the back formation being used more often, the 'taking the game to the opposition' approach being deployed with better quality personnel across the pitch, and some consistent encouragement from those in the stands, I have no doubts the best is still yet to come for the Chilean in a Derby shirt.

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