CITY GROUND — What happens when the Premier League’s basement passers collide? On Saturday, we found out, and this glance into the mirror wasn’t pretty for Nottingham Forest.
Where exactly this extra 20 per cent would come from transpired into Everton enjoying more of the ball and ultimately getting the win their performance deserved, meaning Saturday ended with Forest sitting much more nervously in third after wins for Manchester City and Aston Villa below them.
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Nerves are hard to quantify but they were palpable around the ground, the dizzying reality of what is within their grasp translating into Forest simply being off it all match, and easily summarised by the word Nuno Espirito Santo repeated in his press conference afterwards: “Disappointed.”
The disappointment was evident well before Doucoure’s 94th-minute strike rippled the net, as the hosts rarely threatened, struggling to create clear-cut chances and making for a disgruntled spiral that left Forest fans, rightly, fearing the worst.
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That was a bizarre low on a forgetful day where high-octane football would in reality have clashed with Nuno’s principles, the very approach that has made them top-four contenders in the first place. Against Manchester City last month, sitting back worked, as it has done plenty of times this season.
Why change then is therefore an understandable question to ask, but at this stage of the season, with Champions League football on the line and a blatant opportunity to take the game to their opponents at home, they didn’t seize the moment, meaning the uncompromising style that has served them so well this time proved to be their downfall.
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In Brentford, Crystal Palace, Leicester and West Ham they face four more bottom-half sides who also rank low for possession, meaning Nuno may well have to consider a tactical tweak to get them over the line, particularly if these teams copy Everton’s blueprint.
The Europa League would still be great, really, but from where they were it would be a tough pill to swallow, and with winnable games on the horizon, Forest cannot afford to ask themselves what might have been come 25 May – when they host Chelsea on the final day.
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