Case for defence getting stronger at Forest
KEEPER SAMBA PRAISED FOR HIS CONSISTENT PERFORMANCES
NOTTINGHAM Forest will come up against the division’s stingiest defence when they take on Swansea City tonight (7pm).
The Swans have let in only 15 League goals so far this term. Only Watford, with 20, are close to rivalling that.
It will mean the Reds will have to be clever in their attacking play and clinical with any chances they do get if they are to break down the hosts.
But Forest have tightened up their own back line, too. They have looked solid in recent matches.
Three out of their last four games have ended in clean sheets, with promotion-chasing Bournemouth prevented from registering a single shot on target in Saturday’s 0-0 draw – indeed, they managed only four efforts at goal in total.
Be it coincidence or not, the last four fixtures have seen manager Chris Hughton field the same back line, too.
An injury to Scott Mckenna has seen Tobias Figueiredo come back in to partner Joe Worrall. The Portuguese has looked back to his old self after some wobbles earlier in the campaign.
Cyrus Christie has been a regular at right-back since he signed on loan in the summer, while Gaetan Bong has held down his place on the opposite flank despite the return of Yuri Ribeiro from suspension.
You wouldn’t bet against those four being in the starting XI at the Liberty Stadium either, with Hughton preferring not to chop and change his defence too much.
And then you have goalkeeper Brice Samba.
“I had seen a fair bit of him last season, so I did know him. I did have thoughts on him,” Hughton told the Post regarding the Forest number one.
“But it’s only when you get to work with somebody and get to know somebody that you realise their levels.
“He has had some moments but every goalkeeper is going to have those moments in a season.
“What you want is as few of those moments as possible. I think that’s been the case with Brice – he’s been very consistent.”
Christie says having Samba behind them also instills confidence in those playing in front of him.
“He’s been good to work with. He’s a great keeper,” said the Fulham loanee. “He proved that last season in the Championship and this season as well, there’s been times where he’s made vital saves.
“You feel pretty secure with him in goal if shots do come in, or if you make a mistake, you have a good feeling that he can bail you out.
“He’s a fantastic keeper.
“He’s young and he’s a big personality within the changing room. He’s confident about his own abilities.”
Forest paid the price for sloppy individual errors earlier on in the campaign. They had conceded some poor goals.
Hughton is still keen for them to improve going forward – and the players he brought in during the January window are testament to that but it was important for him to have a base to build on.
“The bigger area for us to address was that little bit of creativity in the final third and getting goals,” he said.
“If I’m looking at the defensive combinations we have, Gaetan has come in in recent games, but the centre-halves haven’t changed dramatically.
“We had Scott when he was fit and playing, but now we’ve got Joe Worrall and Toby, who have played a lot of games together.
“And we’ve got a goalkeeper who, for me, is having a very good season.
“They are the important factors and it’s about what we do in front of them.
“Defence is always the best place to start, being solid as a team – as is the case with Swansea. One of the reasons why Swansea are doing as well as they are is because they are defensively very good, as well as being expansive going forward.”
Worrall, in particular, has been superb since his return from injury. He has rarely put a foot wrong and leads by example, with or without the armband.
Mckenna will surely be his firstchoice partner when he is fit but Figueiredo certainly won’t give up the shirt without a fight.
Bong has turned his fortunes around after a debut to forget last term. It looked like his Reds career could have been over then but he has been steady in recent weeks.
Ribeiro is having to wait for his chance to get back in the side – although Hughton has said he doesn’t like to view it as having “firstchoice” picks throughout his XI, instead emphasising the importance of the squad.
Equally, a solid defence is also reliant on the rest of the team helping out too.
In Swansea, the Reds will face a side who are as good going forward as they are at the back.
It will be a stern test of Forest’s recent progress and one which will require a collective effort.