Familiar tale for Forest as two points dropped
THERE were familiar frustrations for Nottingham Forest after the fulltime whistle on Saturday.
Missed chances, set-pieces woes, leads surrendered and last-minute goals are nothing new for the Reds.
There was no question about it being two points dropped by Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in the 1-1 draw away against Luton Town.
■■Profligacy up front
Spurning opportunities has been a recurring theme for the Reds of late. They ended their mini goaldrought, at least, but they should have had a healthy cushion well before the Hatters bagged their lastminute equaliser.
Chance after chance after chance went begging. Not putting the game to bed was always going to leave the visitors vulnerable – particularly given their deadball frailties.
Divock Origi, Morgan Gibbswhite, Anthony Elanga and Ryan Yates all could have got on the scoresheet, as could Murillo with an outrageous effort from well inside his own half which needed tipping away.
But through a combination of wasteful finishing and goalline clearances from the hosts, the match remained in the balance heading towards the final minutes.
Nuno’s challenge of getting more goals from his team has only been made harder by a fresh injury blow for Taiwo Awoniyi. The Nigeria international had not got back to anywhere near full sharpness since recovering from groin surgery but his absence now denies Forest another option.
Chris Wood stepped up with a goal at Kenilworth Road and the Reds are going to need him to keep going on that front.
■■Tactical switch
Having come in for some criticism for his starting 11 against Brighton & Hove Albion, this time the scrutiny has focused on Nuno’s substitutions.
His decision to bring on an extra defender, in Felipe, and change formation with 15 minutes still to play has generated plenty of debate.
After not being at the races early on, the visitors had got a grip on the game. They then started to enjoy even more control in the second half.
Given Forest’s inability to increase their advantage, though, it was always going to be a fine balancing act when it came to making any tweaks.
It always felt like a gamble to switch to five at the back when the system had been working and the Reds were doing well. It might well have worked had Forest been able to defend a set-piece.
But regardless of whether the formation change directly led to the equaliser or not, what it did do was send a message to Luton; it was almost an open invitation to mount a late charge.
Nuno’s hand was forced to some extent in that Wood seemed to pick up a knock, although his departure was seen as precautionary.
But bringing Origi off at the same time suddenly changed the attacking dynamic. Gibbs-white then made way shortly after, with Nuno saying he was “struggling”.
Still, Gio Reyna must be wondering what he has to do to get an opportunity.
■■Mindset reset
The Reds and Nuno have a lot to ponder during this international break. Somehow the latter needs to instil a steely mentality in his squad. Chucking points away from a leading position is a killer.
Game management comes into it. As does learning lessons – something Forest are proving slow to do, given the sense of deja vu most weekends.
One of the biggest and most pressing problems to address is the giant set-piece Achilles’ heel. It is a blatant weak spot – and the rest of the Premier League knows it.
“We look OK on one side but it is always hard. It is about concentration, focus and commitment,” Nuno said on the subject. “We had big boys on the pitch to solve the setpiece situation, but the problem is in front. The game should be over much, much earlier.”
Both points apply. The Reds need to fix their deadball difficulties and finish off their chances.
The fortnight hiatus, though, offers an opportunity for something of a reset. Forest have a nine-game sprint once they reconvene.
The message from the players in the aftermath was clear - unity is required.
Gibbs-white wrote on Instagram: “Everyone must stick together and believe because we are a family.”
Wood posted: “We stick together and we keep fighting.”