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Huge Derby County deal needs movement as key positions need 'desperate' attention Derby County missed out on the Carabao Cup second round as they were beaten by Lincoln City at Pride Park yesterday Derby County were dumped out of the Carabao Cup as Lincoln City secured a 2-1 win in the season's curtain raiser this afternoon. Derby attempted to engineer a response as Sam Szmodics saw a shot deflected behind for a corner, but it was Lincoln who looked a threat owed to their sharpness in both physical duels and winning second balls. Their second goal came when a long ball was headed clear by Matt Clarke, but it was picked up by Freddie Draper whose pass to the supporting Dom Jefferies was inch-perfect. Jefferies took care of the rest with a terrific finish across Zetterstrom. Lewis Travis then had to take a booking for the team when Zetterstrom's pass gifted Lincoln possession on the edge of the box which led the Derby skipper to make a tactical foul. Derby did eventually haul themselves back when a cross from Charlie Taylor was half cleared to Sam Szmodics who unleashed a terrific volley into the top corner from 25 yards. But any hope Derby had of that being a spark for a strong start to the second half quickly dissipated as House saw a shot deflected behind for a corner. Some quick feet from Bobby Clark led to him creating a chance for Carlton Morris, but his shot was cleared off the line by Deji Elerewe. At the other end, House forced a save from Zetterstrom as Reeco Hackett also headed over the bar. Here are the talking points from the weekend Investment movement is needed In the wider context of Derby's ambitions, a defeat and an early exit from the Carabao Cup are unlikely to cause too much heartache. While it would have been nice to make it through to the next round, there are much bigger issues to address on an afternoon when concerns about the squad's depth again dominated the attention. John Eustace is probably sick of answering questions about investment as journalists are of asking them, but with three weeks to go until the end of the transfer window, it's easy to understand why the supporters are getting edgy. With every day that passes until Turki Alalshikh's investment is rubber-stamped, it's another step closer to the start of the Championship and there is a hell of a lot of work still to do. Eustace will be desperately hoping for some movement this week because his plan to carry on where he left off last season has hit an impasse until the Independent Football Regulator finally green-lights Alalshikh's deal. Until then, he has to make do with what he has and, as demonstrated here, there are areas of the pitch which are in desperate need of pace, not to mention Championship quality. Wide players, central midfielders and strikers should be on the agenda in a squad that needs at least five players before it is at the level to compete for a place in the top eight. It is a situation that has arisen through circumstance rather than by design. Eustace said patience will again be needed in the opening month of the campaign as he waits for the squad to be where he feels it should be. He should certainly be afforded that. Bad start proved costly While there are obvious concerns about the current depth of the squad, those who did feature ranged from the good to the bad. Derby weren't helped by a poor start to the game, in which the failure to win their own personal duels, combined with an inability to come out on top in respect of second balls, gave Lincoln plenty of confidence, particularly in the opening 20 minutes. The first goal would have been a disappointment given Derby are usually so good at defending and attacking set-pieces, but the second goal epitomised the problems of not being alert enough. Once Matt Clarke won his header, Oscar Fraulo was beaten to a header, Freddie Draper picked up the ball and his pass was expertly delivered into the run of Jefferies, who took care of the rest. After Szmodics' wondergoal, Derby improved after the break, but everything felt like it was in front of Lincoln, not helped by the lack of traditional wingers so important to Eustace's 4-2-3-1 system. The loss of Patrick Agyemang has been acutely felt, and somebody like Jaydon Banel would have been ideal. Lincoln are a team that are happy to give you possession and strike when the opportunity arises in the final third. Their pressing was impressive, and they deserved their win. Szmodics gets off to a flier Szmodics has returned to Derby with the bit between his teeth, and he followed up a lively performance against Rotherham in midweek with a goal of the season contender here. The former Blackburn striker proved under Eustace that he has tremendous quality and a sharp eye for goal when he is fit and firing. The 25-yard volley he scored here was a masterclass in technique and execution and there was no better way for him to start the season. He was busy throughout; he tried to make things happen and went close again in the first half when a shot to the near post had to be turned around the corner. Szmodics has proven that he's a class act. He's scored goals in the Premier League, and he will score goals in the Championship. Derby will hope that is a sign of things to come from him in the rest of the season. They just need to add more to their attack, which will, in turn, give him even more chances in front of goal. Clarke worry There was an enforced change at half-time as Matt Clarke had to come off due to an injury he has been nursing since Tuesday night at Rotherham. Derby thought he would be okay to get through the game yesterday, but in the end he needed to be replaced by Dion Sanderson who played well when he came on. If Derby are going to be successful this season, they cannot have an injury list like last term when at one point of the campaign it was so big, sometimes you forgot who was on it. Derby will hope that Clarke's problem is minor, as he's such a valuable player to the club, having been named player of the season and the players' player of the season. He's a consistent performer at the level, and fingers crossed that he will be okay for Charlton next week when the season gets underway.