Bad day at Boro highlights need for Forest to add depth
RYAN Yates could hardly bear to look. Philip Zinckernagel buried his face in his shirt. Lewis Grabban clutched the post in frustration. It was that kind of day. There has been much to like about Nottingham Forest of late. They have played plenty of good football and shown bags of spirit.
Boxing Day’s 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough doesn’t change any of that. If anything, that it was such a poor performance from the Reds only highlights the progress they have made - after all, not so long ago that kind of result was a more frequent occurrence.
For Steve Cooper’s Forest, though, it was a display which was out of character and out of step with their recent form.
The unbeaten run was always going to come to an end at some point, but the manner in which Boro brought it to a shuddering halt made for a particularly disappointing afternoon.
With January just around the corner, it draws into sharp focus how important a transfer window this will be at the City Ground.
■■Notable absentees
The Reds went into the game desperately short of full-back options. Given how important they are to Cooper’s way of playing, that was always likely to make for a tough test.
There’s no getting away from how key Djed Spence has become. He was missed – something which will surely have Forest turning up the charm in a bid to deter Middlesbrough from recalling him next month.
That is not meant as any kind of slight on Fin Back, who still has a bright future despite a difficult afternoon. Spence might not have made any difference to the outcome had he been able to feature, but he is nevertheless an integral player in this team.
Both Chris Wilder and Cooper were keen not to get drawn into any deep discussions when asked about the right-back’s future in their postmatch press conferences.
Cooper will know Spence would be very difficult to replace, though.
Likewise, the absence of Max Lowe and Jordi Osei-tutu as leftback options was keenly felt - perhaps even more so with Spence ruled out too.
■■Squad depth
It wasn’t just at full-back where Cooper didn’t have many cards to play at the Riverside. With Alex Mighten and Joe Lolley injured, attacking options were in short supply as well.
That made for rare appearances from the substitutes’ bench for Joao Carvalho and Xande Silva. For former West Ham United man Silva, it was only his second run-out since signing on deadline day.
His first, coincidentally, also came against Middlesbrough.
Question marks hang over the futures of both, going into January.
If Forest are to push for a top six spot, they need to make sure they end the window with enough quality in their ranks while also remaining tight on numbers, as they have been keen to do since the summer.
There’s no doubt Cooper has a strong first-choice 11. He needs players who can also turn things around from the bench, though.
When it comes to strength in depth, the Reds are still a little short compared to some of their rivals.
Silva, in fairness, came as close as anyone in the visiting side to finding the net as he hit the post. Carvalho had the same problem as most of the rest of his team-mates, in that he struggled to influence the game. ■■Tactical tussle
Cooper has got it right so many times before, in outsmarting his opponents.
At Middlesbrough, he again looked to tweak something that wasn’t working. It had the desired effect for a spell, until the hosts struck the killer blow by making it 2-0.
Yates’ horror own goal had set the tone for a dismal afternoon. The midfielder turned away as the ball made its last few rotations to cross the line. He knew how it was going to end.
He covered his eyes with his right hand as the hosts celebrated.
Forest never really recovered. Boro piled on the pressure for the rest of the half, with only some good saves by Brice Samba keeping his team in it.
The usual calmness on the ball and slick passing moves of recent weeks were nowhere to be seen. Too many players were careless in possession.
The Reds had started with three at the back, but with their opponents causing problems and the wingbacks not pushing forward as much as they would have liked, something had to change.
Cooper switched to a four-man defence at the break and it did make a difference. The visitors started to grow into the second half.
If Zinckernagel had been able to put away a great chance just after the hour, you’d have fancied them to get a result.
Instead, the ball was scooped over the bar, Joe Worrall headed off target a few minutes later and Middlesbrough punished those missed opportunities.
That the second goal came amid Forest’s best spell of the match made for a real suckerpunch.
■■Staying positive
Cooper was honest in his postmatch assessment. There was no
glossing over a poor display.
But while it felt like a miserable Boxing Day and little reward for the 2,000-strong travelling contingent who had made the trip north on a gloomy afternoon, it is still only the second defeat since the Welshman took charge.
When the Reds lost by the same scoreline in the reverse fixture back in September, there was a very different mood around the City Ground.
That result proved to be the final straw for Cooper’s predecessor, Chris Hughton. It ended up as something of a turning point in the season. The strides the club have made since then should not be underestimated.
Losing to Middlesbrough again can still be one of those fork in the road moments, if Forest respond with unbeaten run together to set them up for the second half of the campaign. But this time, the defeat feels different.