Lewis McGugan suggests £3m Forest player is so important, he brings the best out of Anthony Elanga
Lewis McGugan suggests £3m Forest player is so important, he brings the best out of Anthony Elanga
Nottingham Forest were beaten by Fulham on Saturday but do remain third in the Premier League despite the latest setback.
Goals came from Emile Smith Rowe and Calvin Bassey with Chris Wood bagging his 18th goal of the Premier League season just before half-time to give the Reds some hope.
Anthony Elanga made his 100th Premier League appearance against Fulham. He’s grown as a player again this season following his £15 million move from Manchester United in the summer of 2023.
There wasn’t a deal to shout about at Craven Cottage with the performance largely drab. Troy Deeney named Wood in his Team of the Week and Matz Sels also played out of his skin between the posts.
Forest will park this game against Fulham pretty quickly. The Reds move on to Newcastle on Saturday and then face massive home games with Arsenal and Manchester City.
Lewis McGugan suggests most important Nottingham Forest player
On Saturday, Forest had to go with three central defenders once again, with Callum Hudson-Odoi not quite fit to start the game following a groin injury sustained last month.
It didn’t work quite as well as it did against Brighton and Forest found themselves behind early in the game and ultimately, the team never really recovered to find their groove.
McGugan thinks that is down to Hudson-Odoi not being available and he’s suggested that the 23-year-old is the most important player when it comes to the Reds producing their best football.
He told the Forest Focus podcast: “I think we look better when we changed formation – when Hudson-Odoi came on, that’s our formation.
“Elanga straight away looked more at home in the wide area and I think moving forward I think we look better in that 4-2-3-1 formation and it suits our players better with Anderson and Gibbs-White. If our two wingers are available and fit we need to revert back to that formation.”
Callum Hudson-Odoi stats 2024/25
it’s fair to say that Forest don’t seem quite right when Hudson-Odoi isn’t in the team and hopefully, he can return for the big trip to Newcastle next weekend.
Hudson-Odoi only cost Forest £3 million and he’s rediscovered himself since arriving at the City Ground in the summer of 2023 when Steve Cooper was still the head coach.
| Callum Hudson-Odoi stats 2024/25 | Total |
| Appearances | 21 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Dribbles | 46 |
| Key Passes | 34 |
Nuno Espirito Santo has given Hudson-Odoi the freedom to express himself on the pitch and he’s thriving under the confidence that has been instilled in him at Forest.
It’s a real shame that Hudson-Odoi wasn’t fit to start the game at Craven Cottage. Forest look much better going forward in a 4-2-3-1 system and hopefully, that can be the case against Newcastle next weekend.
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