The latest Nottingham Forest news and views as Ivan Toney steals the headlines at the Gtech Community Stadium – but this former Reds player still sees cause of optimism
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Michael Dawson believes Nottingham Forest will win their fight for Premier League survival but that they need their missing players to do it.
The former Reds centre back was working as a pundit on Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Brentford, a game in which they took an early lead and equalised to make it 2-2, only to ship a winner to Neal Maupay. It was a result that left them just two places and four points above the bottom three having played a game more than Luton Town.
But Dawson, who came through the Forest youth set-up and had two spells at the City Ground, pointed to the absence of half-a-dozen players at the Africa Cup of Nations and the injuries of two of Nuno Espirito Santo’s best attackers – to say nothing of talisman Taiwo Awoniyi.
He noted the different set-up to the previous two league matches, victories against some of the division’s bigger hitters, and the lack of offensive options. He told Sky Sports: “I saw a different team to what I saw against Manchester United and Newcastle and that was down to the personnel. He can’t do anything when he’s got injuries, [Anthony] Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White two players that would make him play in a different position. They played with three really holding midfielders and it was difficult for them.
“They started the game really well, they would go 2-1 down and they get a reaction, Nuno will be disappointed and it doesn’t get any easier, the next game is Arsenal.
“But that’s what he’s come in to, he’s come into a team fighting for survival and he, he’ll keep doing what he’s been doing and when he gets his players back, he’s got six players at the Africa Cup of Nations, he’s been dealt a hard blow but he’ll keep trying to be as positive as he can be. He’s trying to get the performances back to Newcastle and Manchester United because they were top.
“There wasn’t an awful lot in this game. I just believe in those wide areas if there was Elanga or Morgan Gibbs-White in that position, they had a real structure in the two previous Premier League games where you could see it. But it was just hard and the three midfielders Danilo going, [Nicolas] Dominguez out to the right. [Ryan] Yates might step in, [Orel] Mangala was the one who always held.
“But before in the two previous ones, they had an out and out 4-2-3-1 and Gibbs-White for me is huge miss, he’s absolutely magnificent. When they get him back and Elanga back and the players back from the Africa Cup of Nations, I’m sure they’ll be OK.”
Forest next play Bristol City in the FA Cup Fourth Round before welcoming Arsenal to the City Ground on Tuesday, January 30.
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