If the Reds are to stay in the Championship this season, they need to improve – and fast.
Nottingham Forest fans protest against owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi
With the club just one point above the Championship relegation zone, it would be fair to say that Nottingham Forest’s season has been truly abysmal from start to finish.
However, they aren’t down yet – and there’s a decent chance now Mark Warburton is in that they won’t return to League One for the first time since they were promoted in 2008. Here’s five ways they can improve, and ultimately avoid the drop.
Use width
Frankly, you didn’t need to be a footballing expert to find a way to stop Forest, as the way they were set up prior to Warburton’s arrival was painfully predictable. Defending teams knew that Forest would try and play through the middle, and if you put enough men there, they wouldn’t be able to break through. The club has wingers in Gboly Ariyibi, Ben Osborn, Hildeberto Pereira, Mustapha Carayol and Jamie Ward – actually using them and playing them correctly opens another form of attack for Forest, and one that could make a difference.
Brighton’s Bruno Saltor in action with Nottingham Forest’s Jamie Ward
Close down players outside the box
Another one that sounds so simple and basic, yet just hasn’t been done. Midfielders who face Forest and are capable of smacking a ball from distance must think it’s their birthday when they play the Reds, as the amount of time and space they have to pick their spot is generous to say the least. Even with five men in the middle, somehow it’s still allowed to happen. If Forest can put an end to this, it will seriously help their goal difference.
Provide actual support to the striker
Forest tend to play one up front – which is fine, and it’s something most teams do in today’s game. What isn’t fine for the strikers is the total lack of service, which has seen Britt Assombalonga and Nicklas Bendtner (while he was at the Reds) struggle this campaign. Assombalonga in particular very rarely gets the ball in the penalty box, making it incredibly difficult for him to score goals. With Zach Clough playing as number 10, this has potential to change – and fans will say it’s been a long time coming.
Nottingham Forest’s Zach Clough scores their third goal from the penalty spot
Stop shoehorning players into the side
Forest are fortunate in the sense they have a plethora of attacking options to call upon in Assombalonga, Clough, Ross McCormack, Ben Brereton and Apostolos Vellios. However, again prior to Warburton’s arrival, the Reds were guilty of trying to cram them all into the starting XI, resulting in a completely unbalanced side and left the forwards either getting in each other’s way, not seeing enough of the ball to make a difference, or simply being shunted out of position. One of the things Warburton needs to get right is to make sure that he picks a balanced squad, and plays people in their correct positions.
Sort the discipline out
The disciplinary record at Forest this season has been scandalous, with Forest racking up a whopping 76 yellow cards – an average of two a game – and eight red cards, with three of those being awarded to one player in Pereira. It’s not that Forest are a dirty side, it’s just they’ve given away so many cheap bookings. This needs to stop if they are to stay up – partially because it will stop giving free kicks away, and also because it will stop players being suspended for the final stretch of the season. These eight games for Forest are absolutely crucial, they simply cannot afford to be dealing with stupid suspensions at this moment in time.
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