What Nuno comment says about Nottingham Forest as Fulham defeat provides food for thought
Latest Nottingham Forest verdict as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds beaten 2-1 by Fulham in Premier League clash at Craven Cottage
The fight to the finish was never going to be easy; nothing ever is in the Premier League. Even more so when Europe is the prize at stake for Nottingham Forest.
The Reds’ resilience is about to be tested again. With 25 games gone they are still third in the table, but this is where it really starts to get serious.
Such is the fierce unpredictability of the division, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have gone from being 7-0 destructors of Brighton and Hove Albion to losing 2-1 to Fulham. Saturday was their second straight loss on the road in the league, following on from their thumping at Bournemouth.
This is certainly not panic stations but head coach Nuno has been left with plenty to ponder after the defeat at Craven Cottage. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from the game.
Aerial assault
Forest have had a head for heights for much of this term, given they have been challenging at the top end of the table. On Saturday, though, they lost the aerial battle against the Cottagers.
Nuno has spent a lot of time working with his squad on dealing with set-pieces and headers. The Reds struggled in that department last term and have made great strides since, but there is more still to be done.
“It is something we have worked really hard on. There has clearly been an improvement on that aspect, but everything is not solved. We should have dealt better with that situation,” Nuno said afterwards.
Fulham had Forest’s number on that front. Marco Silva targeted the flanks as he correctly predicted the visitors’ starting formation, and he found a way of unsettling a usually incredibly well-organised defence.
The Reds failed to heed an early warning sign when Raul Jimenez headed wide from an Adama Traore cross. Unable to shut down the supply line, it became a case of rinse and repeat as the hosts bombarded their opponents’ box. Emile Smith Rowe and Calvin Bassey made their headers count.
Formation choice
Same team, very different outcome. It was entirely understandable why Nuno told the starting XI that had thrashed Brighton to go again.
The system had worked perfectly on that occasion. Not so much this time around.
Fulham had planned for a back three of Morato, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, with Neco Williams and Ola Aina as wing-backs. Silva had done his homework on how to exploit that shape – something Nuno will no doubt bear in mind going forward.
As Nuno conceded at the full-time whistle, the formation “didn’t work out”. The Cottagers were a completely different prospect.
Forest were somewhat fortunate to go in at the break on level terms. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but maybe that was the time to change it. Nuno hasn’t got much wrong this season but perhaps that was a bit of a misstep.
As soon as Callum Hudson-Odoi came on and the switch to a back four was made, the Reds were much improved and started to carry a threat. By that point, though, they were trailing again and although they still had time to turn it around Fulham gave away absolutely nothing.
“There are so many things I would do differently now,” Nuno said when asked whether he ought to have switched to a four-man defence sooner. “Now it is about looking at the game and preparing for the next one. It is always the same.”
Nuno has got his tactics spot on plenty of times already. With another tough away day to come next Sunday, at Newcastle United, he will have much to think about when it comes to picking his team for that one.
Standout performers
No doubt the travelling contingent at Craven Cottage included some fans who had also made the long journey to Exeter City for the FA Cup in midweek. They didn’t have too much to cheer as for the most part the Reds were below par.
However, two players showed the kind of form they have been in for much of this campaign. Matz Sels and Chris Wood are having stellar seasons and proved their worth once again, even if they could not change the end result.
Sels will be frustrated with the goals conceded, but were it not for the Belgian the scoreline could have been worse. He did what he could to keep his team in the game for as long as possible; he just needed more help from those in front of him. He can certainly lay claim to being the most in-form goalkeeper in the division, though.
There is also no doubting the importance of Wood to Forest’s fight for the European spots. It was an excellent goal from the New Zealander for his 18th of the campaign, showcasing his strength and composure after he had latched on to a Morgan Gibbs-White pass.
However, the question mark over strength in depth at the top end of the pitch continues to hang over the Reds. With Taiwo Awoniyi ruled out, there was no replacement striker on the bench.
To celebrate the success of Nottingham Forest this season, we are writing a series of features celebrating events at the City Ground.
From the finances to the former managers. Looking at how the City is benefitting from what Nuno’s team are doing on the pitch.
We take a deep dive into Evangelos Marinakis and his aspirations for the club – can the Reds match them?
Tough run
Watching on at Craven Cottage was promotion hero Steve Cook. Having helped QPR thump Forest’s arch-rivals Derby County 4-0 on the Friday night, he was then in the stands to watch his former club the following day.
The scenarios are completely different, of course, but the centre-back’s presence brought to mind the challenges that come with getting over the line at the business end of any season. Regardless of what that line is, be it promotion or clinching a European spot, it is never easy to cross it.
The Reds can see others gaining ground in their rear-view mirror. Manchester City – fresh from a winter spending spree – are now three points behind, in fourth.
Fulham marked the start of a run of fixtures against teams Forest had lost to in the first half of the campaign. Newcastle, followed by Arsenal and City at home are still to come.
It has the makings of a big few weeks. But whatever happens in those games is not the be all and end all, the Reds will still have plenty of points to play for after that.
Forest have set such high standards for themselves, any drop off can sometimes come with an air of disappointment; Nuno and his squad will certainly be frustrated after Saturday. The bigger picture shows that however the coming weeks pan out, the Reds have and are making progress.
But Nuno knows there is still more to do. “Of course this is the time of the season when we have to go stronger,” the Portuguese reflected (via the BBC) afterwards. It felt like a telling statement.
Leave a Reply