Latest Nottingham Forest news as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds fight to avoid Premier League relegation.
Nottingham Forest has struggled with injuries and absences throughout the season. It has been stated that Willy Boly’s death has had a greater impact than most.
The centre-back was injured while on duty for Ivory Coast last month and has not played for the Reds since. Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has stated that he does not know when the 33-year-old will return.
Boly’s absence sparked conversation on NottinghamshireLive’s Garibaldi Red podcast this week, when the topic of set-pieces came up. It came following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which Matheus Cunha scored his second goal of the afternoon from a corner, giving Forest a league-high 22 goals conceded from dead-ball situations.
Max Scott, a Reds fan, said of the team’s Achilles’ heel: “Everyone involved needs to accept responsibility. Of course, coaches must address this, but there comes a moment on the pitch when, if you’ve conceded that many goals, you simply have to take control of the situation. If they tell you to defend it zonally but you know it’s not working, you go man-to-man or vice versa.
“It needs leaders on the field. Murillo is a fantastic player, but I don’t think he’s ready to lead yet because he’s young, in a new country, and speaking a new language. I don’t think we can expect him to do any more than he already is.
“I’m wondering who is shouting, who is commanding in the box, and who is putting bodies on the line at every single corner when this happens. The players must accept responsibility, but the coaches must sort things out.
“This is embarrassing. It’s disgraceful for a Premier League team to be so vulnerable to set-pieces.
“And it’s become a thing, isn’t it? It’s become customary for Forest fans to adjust their mindset after the team concedes a corner. But now that the opposition fans know how poor we are, there’s a double jeopardy in which the mood in the stadium shifts and a goal becomes unavoidable.
“I don’t think it’s due to a lack of effort or attempting. It’s simply not good enough. However, saying they need to figure it out is the most obvious thing anyone has ever said.
Forest supporter Dave Astbury remarked, “I believe that if we had seen more of Willy Boly, it would have made a difference.” I saw a video in which Woody (Chris Wood) was asked to characterize everyone of his squadmates in a single word. When he arrived to Willy Boly, he simply said, “Father.” I get the idea Willy is the group’s leader.
“Willy has only recently played at Luton. Willy performed admirably for Luton Town. Willy played for Luton, and we were the better team. We looked really peaceful at the back, and Willy brings that serenity.
“Willy may not be as good as he once was, but he made good use of his expertise. We looked pretty good in defence against Luton until Willy went off. We have not seen him since.
“I believe he reads the game better than most people give him credit. He’s certainly skilled in the air. I believe he has been fairly consistent for us when he has played. Unfortunately, he’s like a couple of ours; they spend more time on the treatment table than they do in the grass.
“If Willy had played more, I still believe we would not have been great at set pieces, but we could have been better than the 22 (conceded).” It’s now a visible, blazing sore thumb that everyone in the country knows about. It’s a shame, really. You ask the team to be self-aware.
“Andy Omobamidele is going to be a phenomenal footballer. I truly like that kid; he’s modest, unassuming, and elegant. He isn’t the complete package yet, but he will be a good player. If we were to drop to the Championship, Andy Omobamidele would be one of the finest players in the division, and he would grow tremendously. Hopefully, we’ll stay in this league, and Andy will improve.
“I think Andy has a bright future. I like him a lot. But I think replacing either of them (Omobamidele or Murillo) with Willy would have been preferable. I’m not suggesting it would be fantastic, but it would not have been as devastating.
“There’s such a gaping wound. Everton, Sheffield United, Burnley City, and Chelsea will be thinking, “Let’s take a big packet of salt and pour it into Forest’s gaping set-piece wound.” They’ll all know it. If we concede a corner at Bramall Lane, the lot will be there in a flash.”
