Vitor Pereira’s Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 with Fulham in a Premier League clash at the City Ground on Sunday
Forest players appear dejected as Dan Ndoye’s goal against Fulham is ruled out for offside(Image: Getty)
Another point on the board it may be, but in most other respects this was an afternoon where Nottingham Forest’s shortcomings were painfully on display.
It is with some hint of irony that goal difference is all that separates Vitor Pereira’s side from the relegation zone. Having started Sunday in 18th, they climbed back above West Ham United with their 0-0 draw against Fulham.
The Reds will not stay in that position for long, though, if they do not start scoring goals. Pereira can talk about spirit and the club can dish out free scarves as much as they like, but a blunt attack is a recipe for trouble.
Eat, sleep, fail to score, repeat. A clean-sheet at the City Ground is a positive, but there is a nagging sense this was two big points dropped by the hosts.
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This was the 14th time this season Forest have drawn a blank in the league. In their last five home games in all competitions, they have had a grand total of 99 shots and found the back of the net just once – Callum Hudson-Odoi’s strike against Fenerbahce.
Fine margins were the difference against Fulham, with the tightest (and most ridiculous) of offside calls chalking off a Dan Ndoye goal and Ola Aina being denied by the bar. “Unlucky” was how Pereira put it. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the main talking points from Sunday’s game.
Time for Taiwo
This weekend’s stalemate wasn’t in the same ballpark as some other games, the likes of last Thursday’s defeat to FC Midtjylland (22 shots) and last month’s goalless draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers (35 shots). The Reds managed only 11 efforts this time around, two of which were on target.
A golden opportunity squandered by Elliot Anderson was the best chance of a flat first half, but there was more energy about the hosts’ play after the break. The introduction of Taiwo Awoniyi just past the hour played a part in that.
The City Ground crowd started chanting for the Nigerian some time before he was called upon as Igor Jesus was offering very little. Pereira explained afterwards that Awoniyi had “deserved” to be on the bench ahead of Napoli loanee Lorenzo Lucca.
And when he came on, the ex-Union Berlin striker showed why he surely now deserves to start ahead of Jesus. Awoniyi asked more questions of Fulham in less than half an hour than the Brazilian had managed in his 63 minutes on the pitch.
Forest can’t keep doing the same things or playing the same personnel and hope something changes. Awoniyi from the off might not be the answer, but he has to be worth a go.
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Positive Pereira
On a similar theme, Pereira once again showed a willingness to make changes. He is proactive, at least.
The half-time switching of Hudson-Odoi and Nicolas Dominguez, for Omari Hutchinson and Dan Ndoye, was an admission he had got the set-up wrong. The first half had been too lacklustre and pedestrian; the second period was better.
That is not to say he got everything right. Bringing off Morgan Gibbs-White – the club’s top scorer in the league – with more than 15 minutes to go was a head-scratcher, especially as Ryan Yates was the man to come on. James McAtee, someone Pereira has been greatly impressed by in training due to his ability to “do magical things”, was given just a couple of minutes to try to spark something.
There was no lack of effort in that second half; Pereira praised his players for “doing everything” to try to win. The story of the match was a familiar one, though.
Stretched squad
The quick turnaround between Europa and Premier League games has been a challenge for the Reds all season, albeit they might not have it to contend with for much longer. On Thursday, Pereira’s side are in Denmark for the second leg of their last 16 tie with Midtjylland; if they want to reach the quarter-finals, they have a 1-0 deficit to overcome.
Post-match on Sunday, though, the Portuguese hinted he will ring the changes to his starting line-up. Next Sunday’s visit to relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur takes priority was the suggestion.
Who knows when Forest will be back competing on the continent again. That they will likely have to sacrifice the chance to keep their European adventure going is a huge shame – and something owner Evangelos Marinakis will likely not be too happy about.
But Pereira has little choice. His first XI are running on low reserves and still have eight big league games to play. He also cannot risk losing any of his star men to injury in a competition the club are, in reality, unlikely to win. Premier League survival has to come first.
Big week
With Leeds United, Spurs and West Ham all drawing over the weekend, it is really as you were in the table. It doesn’t feel like it for Forest, though, given they once again passed up a chance to pull clear and their goalscoring woes show few signs of turning around.
The club had placed a free scarf on every seat at the City Ground. It made for a stunning sight when Mull of Kintyre was bellowed out, especially with a Forza Garibaldi banner emblazoned across the Trent End. It quoted a Cloughie special, one of Brian Clough’s best one-liners: “We hope anybody’s not stupid enough to write us off.”
Fans are doing their bit. It all comes down to those on the pitch.
The pressure had been on going into Sunday’s game, with the Hammers’ draw on Saturday plunging the Reds into the bottom three. Pereira tried to ease any tension with his dressing room message.
“What I said to my players was that the result on Saturday was good for us. I told them it meant we had a chance to go two points above (West Ham),” he explained.
“This is the spirit. It is not about the other teams, it is about us. My work in this moment is to keep the spirit and the morale, keep the belief. Next game, we will try again to get points. We will try to get points in every game until the end of the season.”
Next Sunday’s game in the capital is huge. Forest go into it knowing they simply cannot keep passing up chances.
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