Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis must now make a harsh decision about set-piece coach Simon Rusk.
The Reds’ weaknesses in dead-ball situations were exposed once more against Manchester United Friday night.
Nuno Espirito Santo sorely needs a run of success, and the Forest owner must now make a crucial decision.
Nottingham Forest must dismiss Simon Rusk.
To put it mildly, this situation is perplexing.
Rusk was appointed by Steve Cooper around a week before the prior manager was fired.
He had never worked as a set piece coach before and was previously in charge of England’s under-19 team.
According to The Athletic, Rusk has played a little part since Nuno Espirito Santo joined the team.
Which raises the question of why.
What is the sense of maintaining Rusk as a specialized set-piece coach if Espirito Santo does not rely on him?
It makes no sense, and Marinakis must terminate his employment with the club.
Forest’s defence from set-pieces is sending them down.
Appointing Rusk seemed like a bad decision from the start.
Marinakis reportedly wanted to hire Gianni Vio, who had worked with Antonio Conte, but Cooper declined.
Instead, he wanted his friend Rusk to join the group, and that hasn’t worked out.
This season, Forest has conceded 16 goals from corners and free kicks, while Burnley has 14 in the Premier League.
It’s getting crazy, and the team’s inability to defend set pieces will bring them down.
If Espirito Santo does not utilize Rusk, it indicates that the head coach is confident in his own staff.
If that’s the case, Marinakis must move to guarantee Rusk no longer receives a salary from the football club.
