Latest Nottingham Forest news as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds look ahead to the Tottenham Hotspur test.
Nottingham Forest enter their final seven games of the season encouraged by Tuesday night’s spectacular 3-1 victory over Fulham.
Their battle to avoid relegation is far from over, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s team secured a critical three points in style at the City Ground. Now the task is to improve on that outcome and performance.
Ahead of Sunday’s journey to the capital to face Tottenham Hotspur, Reds writer Sarah Clapson hosted a live Q&A session on our Forest Facebook page. Here’s how things turned out.
Q: Matz Sels’ distribution is excellent, and he doesn’t panic when the ball is passed to him.
A: He remained calm throughout Tuesday night. He remained composed when Fulham began to exert pressure in the second half, as well as when a few set pieces were introduced.
Fulham had a few corners in a short period of time. With one already scored, and knowing Forest’s set-piece troubles, one of them may have been a game changer. However, Sels remained cool, calm, and collected. A persistent presence.
His distribution has been generally decent since he arrived. Having a player like Murillo in front of him also helps, since there is no doubt he can choose a pass, as he demonstrated again on Tuesday night. It means that if Sels can’t find the correct ball, he can hand it to Murillo and trust him to do something with it.
I believe Sels has done well thus far. Getting the goalkeeping position right has always been crucial, even if it has taken some time.
He’s justified the choice to bring him in in January. Goalkeepers may make a significant difference in games, and he has done so. The stop he made at 3-1 against Fulham was fantastic and crucial. He is capable of producing a couple more like that, and Forest may require him to.
Q: Absolutely fantastic performance. Yates and Danilo gave excellent efforts. MGW’s words cannot express his genius.
A: Morgan Gibbs-White is an exceptional player, isn’t he? His first half on Tuesday was stunning. He was at the center of everything, pulling the strings, and fully deserved his aim. It was amazing to see him score because it rounded off a fantastic first half for him. He then assisted Forest in settling in as the second half became a different game.
I believe it simply demonstrates why you play Gibbs-White in that 10 spot. Yes, he can perform well in deeper positions, like he did on Saturday. But he really shines as a number 10.
That is why I believe Gio Reyna will still have stiff competition for a spot in the starting XI. When he is in such good form, he will not be able to pass Gibbs-White for the tenth slot.
Sticking with the attacking trio of Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga, and Callum Hudson-Odoi must be the way forward. Elanga was the quietest of the three, yet he still created difficulties. Hudson-Odoi had been on a fine run before being dropped from the starting lineup, but he took his goal on Tuesday and connected up brilliantly with Ola Aina down the left side.
I think that Ryan Yates and Danilo deserve special notice. Danilo has had an up and down season, but that was his greatest game of the year thus far. He seems to enjoy this time of year, doesn’t he?! It was around this time last year that he truly came into his own.
Both midfielders covered a lot of territory and worked quite hard. Yates continues to face criticism, but I felt he performed admirably on Tuesday. He may not be the most technically gifted player, but that type of player is essential to any team. He gets under the opponents’ skin.
Q: I hope Nuno remains with the team that played Tuesday night when we face Chas n Dave (Spurs).
A: I believe there are still some major decisions to make on Sunday. I’m not a believer of changing centre-backs just for the fun of it, and I believe there should be some continuity, but if Willy Boly is healthy, I’d start him.
Boly appeared to make a difference versus Luton. He is a muscular presence with valuable experience, which might be crucial against Spurs. However, Andrew Omobamidele performed admirably, so leaving him out would be unfair.
I also believe there is a bit of a midfield conundrum. Yates and Danilo were effective against Fulham, but that was at the City Ground. Is that relationship still effective away from home, especially against a team like Tottenham? It is something to think about because it is such an important part of the pitch.
It is a difficult decision to make. I can see the benefits of keeping with the same lineup, especially because an unchanging team has been rare. If Nuno wants to make any adjustments, it is difficult to determine who should be excluded.
I truly hope the offensive setup remains the same. Elanga, Gibbs-White, and Hudson-Odoi have the ability to cause Spurs difficulties.
Q: Just a mention of Omobamidele. When he plays, he simply steps in and does his job. He’s an excellent passer and reader of the game. A fantastic prospect for the future.
A: Agreed. Murillo and Omobamidele’s partnership is quite promising. Both are already quite good, but they are still young and inexperienced, and can only improve. They also function well together.
Omobamidele, like Murillo, was regarded as a promising young player at the time of signing. Omobamidele merely took a little longer to break through the side. He had players ahead of him at first, and Steve Cooper felt his defensive game needed to be improved. Cooper knew Omobamidele was a good passer, however.
Omobamidele, on the other hand, has made significant contributions since joining the team. He has been unlucky in losing his place because he hasn’t done much wrong.
Nowadays, defenders must be able to use the ball effectively. In the Premier League, your centre-backs must be comfortable with the ball at their feet and capable of bringing the game forward. Murillo and Omobamidele are both capable of doing this.
Q: I’d want to see us do more from our corners. Can’t recall the last time we did? Overall, everyone gave a tremendous performance last night, especially the substitutes.
A: You make a good point concerning the substitutes. They all played a part. Harry Toffolo remained steady in the closing few minutes. Reyna didn’t have the same impact as the weekend, but she still provided some enthusiasm. Divock Origi nearly scored. And Nicolas Dominguez did his part.
I would like to see Dominguez return to the XI at some time. He’s been unlucky in falling down the pecking order. He needs to take advantage of any possibilities he has to force his way back in – though who will make space for him is another thing.
Corners and free kicks are still a major area for growth. When Gibbs-White launched an early corner over the heads of everyone in the box, there was a risk of it turning into a ‘oh, here we go’ night, with the audience and players upset. However, he held his palms up in apologies and more than compensated with his subsequent performance.
I believe he appreciates taking responsibility for set pieces. But it’s certainly worth giving someone else a chance. Neco Williams shown his free-kick ability for Wales. It’s worth a chance to attempt something new because set-pieces can be such a powerful weapon.
There is still work to be done on their defense. It became a touch nervy on Tuesday night. If Forest can improve in that area, they will be able to boost their performance even further.
Given the little amount of time left in the season, that may be a tall order. It is worth considering in the summer because it is such a large part of the game.
