Nottingham Forest may see some changes, but there are still many constants in the team.
Now that Nuno Espirito Santo is in the dugout at City Ground, he has already encountered some of the same annoyances as his predecessor. There is not much a new head coach can do to change the influence of officials and VAR.
In his two years as head referee, Steve Cooper frequently had grievances regarding bad calls. Nuno also didn’t hold back while criticizing referee Rob Jones following his team’s 3-2 loss to Bournemouth at full time.
The fact that Willy Boly was sent off for a highly controversial second yellow card before the half-hour mark had a big effect on the match. But the Reds also only had themselves to blame for a few costly mistakes in defense.
Nuno has only been able to work with his team a few times prior to the game since his appointment on Wednesday. Although it is still very early, he will have already gained a great deal of knowledge about his players and recognized both the areas of improvement and the problems that need to be fixed.
Controversial calls
“The former Reds star Stan Collymore wrote on social media during the game, calling it “one of the worst sendings off you’ll ever see at Forest today.” “And no red-tinted glasses.”
Many admirers penned notes with a similar subject. Quite a handful of them used explicit language. At halftime, the team’s official X (formerly Twitter) account sent a message describing how they were once again “let down badly by awful decisions.”
Nuno expressed similar feelings to many supporters who were still furious hours after the final whistle had blown and were unable to understand what had transpired. The Portuguese player expressed frustration about his dismissal, the regulations of the game, and the necessity of voicing his thoughts multiple times during the post-match interviews. He was still confused as to why a red had been displayed by the time he spoke with the printed media. Furthermore, he believed that the way the game had unfolded prevented him from providing a thoughtful assessment of his team’s attacking danger when they were reduced to 10 men.
Regarding Boly’s first booking in the fifth minute, there could be no disagreement. In contrast, it seemed as though Adam Smith fouled him after he had won the ball in the second instance.
Officials from the VAR, however, are not allowed to step in and reverse yellow card rulings. It indicated that Boly’s wait on the touchline was in vain as he stood at the sidelines, possibly dreaming that his dismissal would be overturned.
It wasn’t the only flashpoint in a game which referee Jones struggled to keep a lid on. The hosts could feel hard done by, too, with a penalty decision which went against them. VAR could not confirm whether Smith had been in the area when he handled a Harry Toffolo cross, but it certainly appeared close.
Defensive frailties
Back in the dressing room, Nuno had a clear message for his players after the game. As much as they felt let down by the officials, the Portuguese stressed the Reds cannot afford to make the kind of defensive mistakes they did.
Forest had been leaking goals under Cooper. Tightening things up is the priority for Nuno, but he clearly has his work cut out trying to do that.
Just as Cooper did, he will have a big decision to make over his goalkeeper – perhaps as soon as in the coming days ahead of the Boxing Day trip to Newcastle United. Matt Turner got the nod against the Cherries but was not convincing. Coming under scrutiny again was the last thing the American needed on the back of several mistakes already this term.
Switching keepers isn’t ideal, as the Reds have already found. Odysseas Vlachodimos didn’t exactly stake his claim for the spot when handed his chance earlier in the campaign. But either way, some stability needs to be found.
Turner wasn’t the only one at fault for the goals conceded this time. He wasn’t helped by some slack marking in front of him. There is no question Murillo is a superb talent but defensively he didn’t have the best of games on Saturday. Forest need to be better at defending crosses and set-pieces full stop, though.
Attacking threat
Getting a tune out of the players he has at his disposal was the challenge for Nuno, given he remains without the services of Taiwo Awoniyi. On that front, the Reds showed some encouraging signs.
A change in formation saw them revert to a back four, while Divock Origi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood all made the XI. That particular combination did not get long to manifest as the red card forced a reshuffle, with Origi the one to make way.
Nevertheless, despite the numerical disadvantage, Forest put together some positive moments. Elanga’s opener was nicely worked and well finished, while Wood netted from a corner to make it 2-2.
Wood had possibly his best game in the Garibaldi. He forced a save early on, set up Elanga by winning the ball and playing a neat pass, then scored with a header himself.
Gibbs-White, too, did well. He was more like his old self after a fairly slow start to the campaign by his high standards.
Asked if he was encouraged by what he had seen, Nuno said: “We must. We must. But I already told the players in the dressing room, after all the effort we cannot allow ourselves to make those kinds of mistakes.”
Fighting spirit
“We keep pushing and fighting. Thanks for your support,” Wood posted on social media afterwards.
It was certainly a spirited showing from the 10 men. They very nearly came away with something to show for their effort, with Gibbs-White having gone close to a late winner before Dominic Solanke wrapped up his hat-trick at the other end of the pitch.
There was no shortage of commitment or fight from the hosts. Heads never dropped. If anything, the woeful refereeing decisions fired them up.
The crowd did their bit, too. Nuno had been given a warm reception when he emerged from the tunnel pre-match and the volume levels were raised throughout the match.
It is unfair to judge what Nuno’s Forest may look like based on this one showing. He admitted they couldn’t play the way they wanted to because of the effect of the red card.
Nevertheless, the 49-year-old will need to make his mark quickly. The Reds are now just two points above the relegation zone, with third-bottom Luton Town holding a game in hand.
