Davefevs Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Nottingham Forest: [Saturday 3rd October 15:00] – What can we expect? The Robins travel to the City Ground on Saturday to take on Nottingham Forest who have made a dismal start to the season. Three defeats in the league and one in the cup, and yet to score a goal. With City winning all three this would normally point to a home win with the “Form Gods” seeking revenge! On paper Forest haven’t had the most difficult start either, Cardiff the only team they’ve played so far from last season’s top half. Of the teams played (Cardiff plus Barnsley, QPR and Huddersfield), none of them have recorded a win against anyone else, so it’s not like Forest have played teams that have got off to a flyer. Manager: Forest are managed by former French international Sabri Lamouchi (48). A top player in his day he played for Auxerre, Monaco, Parma, Internazionale and Marseille before taking the Ivory Coast national team job in 2012. He guided them to the 2014 World Cup with the likes of Drogba and the Toure brothers. He then spent a season at Rennes back in France before taking over at Forest at the start of last season. Pic 1 - Forest Manager Sabri Lamouchi Last season, Lamouchi led Forest to what looked like a certain play-off position, only to lose form after beating City 1-0 post-Covid, failing to win any of their last six games (D3 L3). The final day capitulation at home to Stoke (1-4) allowed Swansea to pip them for 6th place. Lamouchi’s Forest are now ten games without a win and the fans are getting restless. Pic 2 - Championship table ahead of this weekend's games [BBC Sport] Recruitment: Forest appear to be on a recruitment conveyor belt, barely a day goes by without them being linked to a new signing. In fairness, Forest have sold Matty Cash to Aston Villa for £14m, and Tyler Walker to Coventry for £1m+, so they have created the financial headroom to splash the cash (no pun). Signings: § Loic Mbe Soh - £4.5m from Paris St-Germain § Harry Arter – undisc. from Bournemouth § Scott McKenna - £3m from Aberdeen § Fouad Bachirou - £600k from Malmö § Nikolas Ioannou - £500k from APOEL Nicosia § Lyle Taylor – free from Charlton § Jack Colback – free from Newcastle (was on loan at Forest during 2018/19 season) § Tyler Blackett – free from Reading § Miguel Angel Guerrero – free from Olympiacos Loans: § Luke Freeman – from Sheffield United § Cyrus Christie – from Fulham Formation / System: Although Lamouchi hasn’t really changed the formation away from a 4231, it feels like a very different system this season. Last season I got used to seeing 2 holding midfielders supporting the technically gifted Tiago Silva, but with his injury and impending move to Olympiakos, he hasn’t featured at all this season. He was such a key player last season, able to control the tempo and much of Forest’s play went through him. In league matches, Lamouchi started QPR and Cardiff with Ryan Yates and Jack Colback behind Luke Freeman, who is very different attacking midfielder to Silva. That set-up was dispensed with on Friday night at Huddersfield where it felt much more like a midfield three with Jack Colback, Samba Sow and Harry Arter. Lamouchi deciding on a more robust threesome away from home or perhaps a reaction to Forest not coping with Cardiff’s physicality in the previous match. Pic 3 - Forest looking more like a 433 versus Huddersfield [Wyscout] You can see in the schema above that with Forest trailing 1-0, Lamouchi switched to a 442 on 76 minutes. Perhaps the surprising nature of this was on 66 minutes he replaced Lyle Taylor with Lewis Grabban, rather than pairing them. Joe Lolley withdrawn against Cardiff, relegated to the bench for this match. With Forest struggling for results and goals it does seem as if Lamouchi’s selections are beginning to look a bit confused! Build-up play: As mentioned above, Forest fans had got used to seeing their football go through Silva, but last season it had a counterattack feel to it. This season there appears to be an emphasis on more possession, but it has looked a bit sterile at times. A midfield three of Sow, Arter and Colback is likely to be tough to break down but its not what many would describe as “creative”. The triangles between Silva, Cash and Lolley are no more, so they are going to be reliant on the transitional runs of Sami Ameobi or a bit step-over and set-piece magic from Luke Freeman. In established possession we may see Scott McKenna coming forward from the back (see below) to make the extra man. Pic 4 - McKenna pushes forward but Forest still compact with Arter (31) and Sow (21) deep [v Huddersfield] Pic 5 - Forest possession ends up going backwards In the example above McKenna ultimately ends up running into a bit of a dead-end and has to pass back to Blackett, who in turn has to pass back again to Ameobi. He does eventually lay it off to the advancing Sow who tries to get a long shot off but is closed down. Both left back (Blackett) and centre back (McKenna) are out of position – an opportunity for City to exploit if they can win the ball back. The unpredictable Sami Ameobi: The type of player that doesn’t get the credit he deserves. The type of player City fans would frown upon if we signed him. A bit ungainly maybe, but capable of that bit of quality needed to unlock a tight game. Capable of clumsiness too – City fans may recall Cardiff away in 2015/16 when he missed two “sitters”! But Ameobi always carries a threat. Bolton away in 2017/18 when he strode the length of the pitch to hammer a left footed strike past Frank Fielding and claim 3 points. Pic 6 - Ameobi surrounded by Terriers midfielders Ameobi wriggles away from his marker, plays a one-two with Sow (21), and advances towards the penalty area. A give and go with Freeman and he’s checked back onto his favoured left foot - curling a shot towards the top corner. Only a great fingertip save from City-fan Ben Hamer denying him a goal. The “Lamouchi Press”: Last season, the excellent @ForestBoffin on Twitter analysed the Lamouchi pressing system. It was very much a case of Grabban allowing the ball to go out wide to the full backs / wing backs, but once the ball was wide, Forest pressed that side of the pitch (Grabban dictating which half). They condensed the area the opposition had to play in whilst also making it a smaller area for Forest players to cover - making it very difficult to play though Pic 7 - @ForestBoffin's visual of the Forest "press" [Twitter] Although predominantly a defensive system, it was also the springboard to counterattacks once the ball has been won back – Lolley and Ameobi the main beneficiaries, but also Cash. In City’s post-Covid match against Forest (a), our defenders had lots of possession with Smith and Nagy coming short to help out, but we didn’t progress the ball through Forest’s midfield lines very often. Watching the Huddersfield match, it was noticeable that new signing Arter tried to force the press with Lyle Taylor, but they weren’t in sync, and the Terriers played around them with ease. Perhaps neither has learned the “Lamouchi Press” yet! Set-Pieces: Little surprise that Luke Freeman is the main-man from set-piece delivery, and also little surprise that they use a series of runners and blockers to target the area between the near post and centre of the goal. Most teams use this as one of their options - It can be really effective as we saw last Sunday with Tom Lees running free to head straight at Dan Bentley. It is easy to spot, but difficult to stop. Pic 8 - fairly standard set-piece set up Here we can see Christie (2) run towards the corner of the 6-yard box. Mbe Soh (6) shapes to bend a run towards the near post area, but in fact he darts into the space created by McKenna’s (26) run to the back post. Pic 9 - Freeman delivers the cross to the target area Freeman puts the ball into the right area, Mbe Soh has gained half a yard on his marker and heads the ball towards goal – but Hamer saves. Possible Line-up: GK: Brice Samba (26) - Congo born, French (u19) stopper, signed from Caen in the summer of 2019 for £1.9m. A big old unit, who’s impressed me when I’ve seen him on Sky / Quest highlights. Got the knack of keeping the ball out the bet, if sometimes looking a bit unorthodox. Super distribution with his left peg, appears to effortlessly stroke the ball about. RB: Cyrus Christie (28) – experienced, promotion winning right back on loan from Fulham. Started at Coventry before moves to Derby and Middlesbrough. Full Ireland international with over 20 caps. Got a good all-round game. LB: Tyler Blackett (26) – Manchester United academy graduate who initially had loans at Blackpool and Birmingham. Had another loan at Celtic before signing for Reading in 2016 for £1.6m making over 120 appearances. Forest snapped him up on a free this summer. Can play left sided centre back too. CB: Loic Mbe Soh (19) – Cameroon born French u19 international who rose through the Paris St-Germain youth ranks. Signed for Forest for £4.5m in September and made his Tricky Trees debut last Friday against Huddersfield. CB: Scott McKenna (23) – Scottish international signed a week ago from Aberdeen for £3m and thrust straight into the starting eleven with Worrall injured. Came through the ranks at the Dons with loans at Alloa and Ayr United. Ball-playing centre back who had a lot of interest over the summer. CM: Samba Sow (31) – Mali international who can play in midfield or centre back. Started at Racing Club Lens before moving to Turkey and then Dynamo Moscow, before sealing a £600k move to Forest last summer. In and out of the side last season he started his first game of the season last weekend and was lucky to last the 57 minutes he did after totting up a succession of fouls. CM: Jack Colback (30) – experienced defensive midfielder who arrived on a free transfer from Newcastle this summer. Started at Sunderland before controversially moving to Newcastle on a free in 2014 playing over 150 Premier League matches. Has had two loan spells at Forest previously. CM: Harry Arter (30) – completes the midfield, signing for Forest for an undisclosed amount last week. Combative player who went through several non-league loans whilst at Charlton before moving to Bournemouth in 2010. Played a huge part in their rise to the Premier League as well as Fulham’s promotion last season. Undoubtedly a winner. LW: Sammy Ameobi (28) - younger brother of Shola and also started at Newcastle. Probably had his best form at Bolton, before arriving in Nottingham on a free last summer, playing all bar one league game. Can be a bit ungainly looking, but a player who has a lot of skill and long stride to nick the ball away from defenders. RW: Luke Freeman (28) – needs little introduction to City fans having had a stellar first season at Ashton Gate in 2014/15 as City won League One (56 matches / 7 goals / 21 assists). Started at Gillingham before moving to Arsenal, then Stevenage where he first caught my eye. Moved from City to QPR with his contract running out and then to Sheffield United last summer. Forest have secured him on loan this season. My DANGERMAN with his busy running and dangerous left foot – and of course with his City connections, he’ll be looking to get one over on us. Pic 10 - Luke Freeman at Bristol City (2014/15) CF: Lewis Grabban (32) - the oldest player in the team, who appeared to have the life of a journeyman in Lg1/2, before his career took off, earning big money moves from Bournemouth, Norwich and loans to Sunderland and Villa, before arriving at Forest in the summer of 2018 for £6m. Top scorer with 20 goals last season, and a real threat inside the box, as well as a good link man outside it. Other Players of note: CB: Joe Worrall (23) - local lad who’s had loans at Dagenham and Glasgow Rangers before becoming first choice last season. Big, strong lad, who looks a leader, and is the one who likes to attack the ball on the deck and in the air. Good player who is currently injured. LB: Nikolas Ioannou (24) – ex-Manchester United u18 player who moved back home to APOEL Nicosia in 2014 making over 100 appearances. Has 18 full caps for his country and signed for Forrest last week. CM: Ryan Yates (22) - another Nottingham lad in the squad. Started to become a regular last season and a big lad, who doesn’t seem afraid to leave his mark. Likes to get forward. Got a red card at Ashton Gate last season in the 0-0 draw. RW: Joe Lolley (28) - not the usual route into pro football for this player. Having been released by Brum and embarking on further education, he found himself at Kidderminster, before hitting the bigger time at Huddersfield, where he was linked with City. Got a very good left foot, and not afraid to shoot, often cutting in from the right. Was left out of the last game and perhaps missing the link up with Matty Cash. CF: Lyle Taylor (30) – much travelled forward, who’s progressed up the football ladder via the likes of Concord Rangers, Lewes and Woking, before starting to make a name for himself at Falkirk. Moves to AFC Wimbledon (55 goals in 150 apps) and Charlton (36 in 67) didn’t stop his scoring exploits either. Cool penalty taker too! How do we win? 1. Deal with a new challenge In the Championship fixtures so far, all of City’s opponents have played with a back three (Coventry, Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday) - Forest will be the first opponent to play a traditional back four. This will present a different set of problems to overcome. One strategy used last week which was less obvious was the way Jack Hunt’s high starting position and energetic forward runs kept his opposite number (Kadeem Harris) deep. Not only did this negate Harris’s own threat, but it gave space for Vyner to move into and play shorter passes into Martin and Wells. Pic 11 - Hunt drags Harris deep creating room for Vyner (versus Sheffield Wednesday) However, that tactic goes out of the window with Hunt likely to have the Forest left back (Blackett) and left winger (Ameobi) in front of him on Saturday. On the other side Rowe or Dasilva will have Freeman and Christie doubling up. Unless City concentrate attacks centrally looking for slide rule passes for Wells, they are going to need to drag the Forest’s full backs into narrow positions to create space wide for our wing backs. Weimann and Paterson are key to this – they both have the natural energy and desire to run beyond their midfield markers. If City couple this with Vyner, Mawson and Moore’s ability to bring the ball forward engaging Sow, Arter or Colback, then Forest’s central three may have to pass-on responsibility for tracking Weimann or Paterson. Pic 12 - Weimann puts the overlapping Hunt through to create the first goal versus Exeter City In the picture above, Paterson has run beyond the midfield line (and beyond his marker) and has forced the Exeter left back to pick him up. Weimann gets a pass from Moore, rolls his midfield marker, and slides a pass to Hunt who is beyond his ball-watching opponent. Hunt goes on to cross for Paterson to score. 2. High tempo passing Forest will naturally want to set up with their three central midfielders protecting their back four. As mentioned earlier neither Sow, Colback or Arter are expansive, although Arter probably the more expressive of the trio. Slower possession from City will be easily absorbed, therefore when the ball is recycled across the pitch it needs to be done quickly. We have seen how City can move the ball between Alfie Mawson (see pass map below) and Zak Vyner without needing the extra pass to Taylor Moore. Pic 13 - Alfie Mawson pass map versus Stoke – notice the longer passes to the right centre back position [Wyscout] 3. Take advantage of a new back four Forest went through most of last season’s campaign with a fairly settled defensive group. Matty Cash made 42 starts, Joe Worrall 46, Tobias Figueiredo 30, Yuri Ribeiro 27, with back up from Michael Dawson and Jack Robinson with 18 apiece. In the league games alone this season Lamouchi has selected the following defenders: § Lawrence-Gabriel | Figueiredo | Worrall | Blackett § Jenkinson | Figueiredo | Worrall | Ribeiro § Christie | Mbe Soh | McKenna | Blackett Last week’s defeat at Huddersfield saw a back four of new signings. There could even be more changes should Nikolas Ioannou come in at left back for his debut. Hopefully City can take advantage of no discernible partnership at the back for Forest. Pic 14 - Cardiff break but Forest in good shape, Ojo marked by Ribeiro (LB) Pic 15 - Ojo runs across Ribeiro who passes him on to Figueiredo (CB) Pic 16 - Figueiredo allows Ojo to run in behind Worrall without passing him on In the above sequence we can see a good pass-on between Ribeiro and Figueiredo, but Worrall is completely unaware than Ojo is going to dart in behind him, he’s more interested where Kieffer Moore is heading and is too late to react to the pass, allowing Ojo into the penalty area. It is this type of poor communication that can be taken advantage of by Nahki Wells. He is naturally a clever runner around the box, and if he and Chris Martin can cause bad handovers between their markers then they can cause real problems. 4. Don’t give Keith Stroud an excuse! Although City look much more streetwise this season, they are still not a side that look like they are ready to go toe-to-toe for 90 minutes physically – it will need to be their football that wins through in the main. I’m pretty sure Arter will be looking to make a mark on Bakinson early on, and it is important that City don’t react to this type of tactic - especially with Keith Stroud as referee. He is one to brandish red cards for any “afters”, so just let him get on with refereeing the game. I’ve mentioned the Forest midfield three a lot and although they can be a strength in terms of experience and pedigree, they may be Forest’s Achilles heel too. All of them like to tackle, and each aren’t immune from coming off their feet in the tackle either. Stroud is fine with hard and fair, but not with tackles that may endanger a player – so this match may not end up 11v11. Not sure a referee has featured in one of my previews before! Prediction: Forest will feel wounded after a terrible start to the season but have enough quality to cause City problems. But I do feel City’s confidence in the way they play and their ability to make small changes to maximum effect will be good enough to return to Ashton Gate with all the points Nottingham Forest 1:2 Bristol City [Credit: @ForestBoffin) for his pressing picture] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leveller Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Blimey. Highlighting Luke Freeman as a threat on OTIB. You’ve started something there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolman_Stand Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Looking through @Davefevs analyis the thing that instantly sticks out to me is the young lad in their central defense, for me we need to be telling CHris Martin to play on his side and rough him up physically as well as playing off of him as much as possible. Other than Freeman their midfield doesn't appear overly creative especially centrally although they will be hard working, hopefully if we can match their workrate the creativity of Pato and Bakinsons forward thinking could prove the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abraham Romanovich Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 " Lamouchi deciding on a more robust threesome away from home." And who can blame him for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfc01 Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Just now, Abraham Romanovich said: " Lamouchi deciding on a more robust threesome away from home." And who can blame him for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Head Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Davefevs said: Nottingham Forest: [Saturday 3rd October 15:00] – What can we expect? The Robins travel to the City Ground on Saturday to take on Nottingham Forest who have made a dismal start to the season. Three defeats in the league and one in the cup, and yet to score a goal. With City winning all three this would normally point to a home win with the “Form Gods” seeking revenge! On paper Forest haven’t had the most difficult start either, Cardiff the only team they’ve played so far from last season’s top half. Of the teams played (Cardiff plus Barnsley, QPR and Huddersfield), none of them have recorded a win against anyone else, so it’s not like Forest have played teams that have got off to a flyer. Manager: Forest are managed by former French international Sabri Lamouchi (48). A top player in his day he played for Auxerre, Monaco, Parma, Internazionale and Marseille before taking the Ivory Coast national team job in 2012. He guided them to the 2014 World Cup with the likes of Drogba and the Toure brothers. He then spent a season at Rennes back in France before taking over at Forest at the start of last season. Pic 1 - Forest Manager Sabri Lamouchi Last season, Lamouchi led Forest to what looked like a certain play-off position, only to lose form after beating City 1-0 post-Covid, failing to win any of their last six games (D3 L3). The final day capitulation at home to Stoke (1-4) allowed Swansea to pip them for 6th place. Lamouchi’s Forest are now ten games without a win and the fans are getting restless. Pic 2 - Championship table ahead of this weekend's games [BBC Sport] Recruitment: Forest appear to be on a recruitment conveyor belt, barely a day goes by without them being linked to a new signing. In fairness, Forest have sold Matty Cash to Aston Villa for £14m, and Tyler Walker to Coventry for £1m+, so they have created the financial headroom to splash the cash (no pun). Signings: § Loic Mbe Soh - £4.5m from Paris St-Germain § Harry Arter – undisc. from Bournemouth § Scott McKenna - £3m from Aberdeen § Fouad Bachirou - £600k from Malmö § Nikolas Ioannou - £500k from APOEL Nicosia § Lyle Taylor – free from Charlton § Jack Colback – free from Newcastle (was on loan at Forest during 2018/19 season) § Tyler Blackett – free from Reading § Miguel Angel Guerrero – free from Olympiacos Loans: § Luke Freeman – from Sheffield United § Cyrus Christie – from Fulham Formation / System: Although Lamouchi hasn’t really changed the formation away from a 4231, it feels like a very different system this season. Last season I got used to seeing 2 holding midfielders supporting the technically gifted Tiago Silva, but with his injury and impending move to Olympiakos, he hasn’t featured at all this season. He was such a key player last season, able to control the tempo and much of Forest’s play went through him. In league matches, Lamouchi started QPR and Cardiff with Ryan Yates and Jack Colback behind Luke Freeman, who is very different attacking midfielder to Silva. That set-up was dispensed with on Friday night at Huddersfield where it felt much more like a midfield three with Jack Colback, Samba Sow and Harry Arter. Lamouchi deciding on a more robust threesome away from home or perhaps a reaction to Forest not coping with Cardiff’s physicality in the previous match. Pic 3 - Forest looking more like a 433 versus Huddersfield [Wyscout] You can see in the schema above that with Forest trailing 1-0, Lamouchi switched to a 442 on 76 minutes. Perhaps the surprising nature of this was on 66 minutes he replaced Lyle Taylor with Lewis Grabban, rather than pairing them. Joe Lolley withdrawn against Cardiff, relegated to the bench for this match. With Forest struggling for results and goals it does seem as if Lamouchi’s selections are beginning to look a bit confused! Build-up play: As mentioned above, Forest fans had got used to seeing their football go through Silva, but last season it had a counterattack feel to it. This season there appears to be an emphasis on more possession, but it has looked a bit sterile at times. A midfield three of Sow, Arter and Colback is likely to be tough to break down but its not what many would describe as “creative”. The triangles between Silva, Cash and Lolley are no more, so they are going to be reliant on the transitional runs of Sami Ameobi or a bit step-over and set-piece magic from Luke Freeman. In established possession we may see Scott McKenna coming forward from the back (see below) to make the extra man. Pic 4 - McKenna pushes forward but Forest still compact with Arter (31) and Sow (21) deep [v Huddersfield] Pic 5 - Forest possession ends up going backwards In the example above McKenna ultimately ends up running into a bit of a dead-end and has to pass back to Blackett, who in turn has to pass back again to Ameobi. He does eventually lay it off to the advancing Sow who tries to get a long shot off but is closed down. Both left back (Blackett) and centre back (McKenna) are out of position – an opportunity for City to exploit if they can win the ball back. The unpredictable Sami Ameobi: The type of player that doesn’t get the credit he deserves. The type of player City fans would frown upon if we signed him. A bit ungainly maybe, but capable of that bit of quality needed to unlock a tight game. Capable of clumsiness too – City fans may recall Cardiff away in 2015/16 when he missed two “sitters”! But Ameobi always carries a threat. Bolton away in 2017/18 when he strode the length of the pitch to hammer a left footed strike past Frank Fielding and claim 3 points. Pic 6 - Ameobi surrounded by Terriers midfielders Ameobi wriggles away from his marker, plays a one-two with Sow (21), and advances towards the penalty area. A give and go with Freeman and he’s checked back onto his favoured left foot - curling a shot towards the top corner. Only a great fingertip save from City-fan Ben Hamer denying him a goal. The “Lamouchi Press”: Last season, the excellent @ForestBoffin on Twitter analysed the Lamouchi pressing system. It was very much a case of Grabban allowing the ball to go out wide to the full backs / wing backs, but once the ball was wide, Forest pressed that side of the pitch (Grabban dictating which half). They condensed the area the opposition had to play in whilst also making it a smaller area for Forest players to cover - making it very difficult to play though Pic 7 - @ForestBoffin's visual of the Forest "press" [Twitter] Although predominantly a defensive system, it was also the springboard to counterattacks once the ball has been won back – Lolley and Ameobi the main beneficiaries, but also Cash. In City’s post-Covid match against Forest (a), our defenders had lots of possession with Smith and Nagy coming short to help out, but we didn’t progress the ball through Forest’s midfield lines very often. Watching the Huddersfield match, it was noticeable that new signing Arter tried to force the press with Lyle Taylor, but they weren’t in sync, and the Terriers played around them with ease. Perhaps neither has learned the “Lamouchi Press” yet! Set-Pieces: Little surprise that Luke Freeman is the main-man from set-piece delivery, and also little surprise that they use a series of runners and blockers to target the area between the near post and centre of the goal. Most teams use this as one of their options - It can be really effective as we saw last Sunday with Tom Lees running free to head straight at Dan Bentley. It is easy to spot, but difficult to stop. Pic 8 - fairly standard set-piece set up Here we can see Christie (2) run towards the corner of the 6-yard box. Mbe Soh (6) shapes to bend a run towards the near post area, but in fact he darts into the space created by McKenna’s (26) run to the back post. Pic 9 - Freeman delivers the cross to the target area Freeman puts the ball into the right area, Mbe Soh has gained half a yard on his marker and heads the ball towards goal – but Hamer saves. Possible Line-up: GK: Brice Samba (26) - Congo born, French (u19) stopper, signed from Caen in the summer of 2019 for £1.9m. A big old unit, who’s impressed me when I’ve seen him on Sky / Quest highlights. Got the knack of keeping the ball out the bet, if sometimes looking a bit unorthodox. Super distribution with his left peg, appears to effortlessly stroke the ball about. RB: Cyrus Christie (28) – experienced, promotion winning right back on loan from Fulham. Started at Coventry before moves to Derby and Middlesbrough. Full Ireland international with over 20 caps. Got a good all-round game. LB: Tyler Blackett (26) – Manchester United academy graduate who initially had loans at Blackpool and Birmingham. Had another loan at Celtic before signing for Reading in 2016 for £1.6m making over 120 appearances. Forest snapped him up on a free this summer. Can play left sided centre back too. CB: Loic Mbe Soh (19) – Cameroon born French u19 international who rose through the Paris St-Germain youth ranks. Signed for Forest for £4.5m in September and made his Tricky Trees debut last Friday against Huddersfield. CB: Scott McKenna (23) – Scottish international signed a week ago from Aberdeen for £3m and thrust straight into the starting eleven with Worrall injured. Came through the ranks at the Dons with loans at Alloa and Ayr United. Ball-playing centre back who had a lot of interest over the summer. CM: Samba Sow (31) – Mali international who can play in midfield or centre back. Started at Racing Club Lens before moving to Turkey and then Dynamo Moscow, before sealing a £600k move to Forest last summer. In and out of the side last season he started his first game of the season last weekend and was lucky to last the 57 minutes he did after totting up a succession of fouls. CM: Jack Colback (30) – experienced defensive midfielder who arrived on a free transfer from Newcastle this summer. Started at Sunderland before controversially moving to Newcastle on a free in 2014 playing over 150 Premier League matches. Has had two loan spells at Forest previously. CM: Harry Arter (30) – completes the midfield, signing for Forest for an undisclosed amount last week. Combative player who went through several non-league loans whilst at Charlton before moving to Bournemouth in 2010. Played a huge part in their rise to the Premier League as well as Fulham’s promotion last season. Undoubtedly a winner. LW: Sammy Ameobi (28) - younger brother of Shola and also started at Newcastle. Probably had his best form at Bolton, before arriving in Nottingham on a free last summer, playing all bar one league game. Can be a bit ungainly looking, but a player who has a lot of skill and long stride to nick the ball away from defenders. RW: Luke Freeman (28) – needs little introduction to City fans having had a stellar first season at Ashton Gate in 2014/15 as City won League One (56 matches / 7 goals / 21 assists). Started at Gillingham before moving to Arsenal, then Stevenage where he first caught my eye. Moved from City to QPR with his contract running out and then to Sheffield United last summer. Forest have secured him on loan this season. My DANGERMAN with his busy running and dangerous left foot – and of course with his City connections, he’ll be looking to get one over on us. Pic 10 - Luke Freeman at Bristol City (2014/15) CF: Lewis Grabban (32) - the oldest player in the team, who appeared to have the life of a journeyman in Lg1/2, before his career took off, earning big money moves from Bournemouth, Norwich and loans to Sunderland and Villa, before arriving at Forest in the summer of 2018 for £6m. Top scorer with 20 goals last season, and a real threat inside the box, as well as a good link man outside it. Other Players of note: CB: Joe Worrall (23) - local lad who’s had loans at Dagenham and Glasgow Rangers before becoming first choice last season. Big, strong lad, who looks a leader, and is the one who likes to attack the ball on the deck and in the air. Good player who is currently injured. LB: Nikolas Ioannou (24) – ex-Manchester United u18 player who moved back home to APOEL Nicosia in 2014 making over 100 appearances. Has 18 full caps for his country and signed for Forrest last week. CM: Ryan Yates (22) - another Nottingham lad in the squad. Started to become a regular last season and a big lad, who doesn’t seem afraid to leave his mark. Likes to get forward. Got a red card at Ashton Gate last season in the 0-0 draw. RW: Joe Lolley (28) - not the usual route into pro football for this player. Having been released by Brum and embarking on further education, he found himself at Kidderminster, before hitting the bigger time at Huddersfield, where he was linked with City. Got a very good left foot, and not afraid to shoot, often cutting in from the right. Was left out of the last game and perhaps missing the link up with Matty Cash. CF: Lyle Taylor (30) – much travelled forward, who’s progressed up the football ladder via the likes of Concord Rangers, Lewes and Woking, before starting to make a name for himself at Falkirk. Moves to AFC Wimbledon (55 goals in 150 apps) and Charlton (36 in 67) didn’t stop his scoring exploits either. Cool penalty taker too! How do we win? 1. Deal with a new challenge In the Championship fixtures so far, all of City’s opponents have played with a back three (Coventry, Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday) - Forest will be the first opponent to play a traditional back four. This will present a different set of problems to overcome. One strategy used last week which was less obvious was the way Jack Hunt’s high starting position and energetic forward runs kept his opposite number (Kadeem Harris) deep. Not only did this negate Harris’s own threat, but it gave space for Vyner to move into and play shorter passes into Martin and Wells. Pic 11 - Hunt drags Harris deep creating room for Vyner (versus Sheffield Wednesday) However, that tactic goes out of the window with Hunt likely to have the Forest left back (Blackett) and left winger (Ameobi) in front of him on Saturday. On the other side Rowe or Dasilva will have Freeman and Christie doubling up. Unless City concentrate attacks centrally looking for slide rule passes for Wells, they are going to need to drag the Forest’s full backs into narrow positions to create space wide for our wing backs. Weimann and Paterson are key to this – they both have the natural energy and desire to run beyond their midfield markers. If City couple this with Vyner, Mawson and Moore’s ability to bring the ball forward engaging Sow, Arter or Colback, then Forest’s central three may have to pass-on responsibility for tracking Weimann or Paterson. Pic 12 - Weimann puts the overlapping Hunt through to create the first goal versus Exeter City In the picture above, Paterson has run beyond the midfield line (and beyond his marker) and has forced the Exeter left back to pick him up. Weimann gets a pass from Moore, rolls his midfield marker, and slides a pass to Hunt who is beyond his ball-watching opponent. Hunt goes on to cross for Paterson to score. 2. High tempo passing Forest will naturally want to set up with their three central midfielders protecting their back four. As mentioned earlier neither Sow, Colback or Arter are expansive, although Arter probably the more expressive of the trio. Slower possession from City will be easily absorbed, therefore when the ball is recycled across the pitch it needs to be done quickly. We have seen how City can move the ball between Alfie Mawson (see pass map below) and Zak Vyner without needing the extra pass to Taylor Moore. Pic 13 - Alfie Mawson pass map versus Stoke – notice the longer passes to the right centre back position [Wyscout] 3. Take advantage of a new back four Forest went through most of last season’s campaign with a fairly settled defensive group. Matty Cash made 42 starts, Joe Worrall 46, Tobias Figueiredo 30, Yuri Ribeiro 27, with back up from Michael Dawson and Jack Robinson with 18 apiece. In the league games alone this season Lamouchi has selected the following defenders: § Lawrence-Gabriel | Figueiredo | Worrall | Blackett § Jenkinson | Figueiredo | Worrall | Ribeiro § Christie | Mbe Soh | McKenna | Blackett Last week’s defeat at Huddersfield saw a back four of new signings. There could even be more changes should Nikolas Ioannou come in at left back for his debut. Hopefully City can take advantage of no discernible partnership at the back for Forest. Pic 14 - Cardiff break but Forest in good shape, Ojo marked by Ribeiro (LB) Pic 15 - Ojo runs across Ribeiro who passes him on to Figueiredo (CB) Pic 16 - Figueiredo allows Ojo to run in behind Worrall without passing him on In the above sequence we can see a good pass-on between Ribeiro and Figueiredo, but Worrall is completely unaware than Ojo is going to dart in behind him, he’s more interested where Kieffer Moore is heading and is too late to react to the pass, allowing Ojo into the penalty area. It is this type of poor communication that can be taken advantage of by Nahki Wells. He is naturally a clever runner around the box, and if he and Chris Martin can cause bad handovers between their markers then they can cause real problems. 4. Don’t give Keith Stroud an excuse! Although City look much more streetwise this season, they are still not a side that look like they are ready to go toe-to-toe for 90 minutes physically – it will need to be their football that wins through in the main. I’m pretty sure Arter will be looking to make a mark on Bakinson early on, and it is important that City don’t react to this type of tactic - especially with Keith Stroud as referee. He is one to brandish red cards for any “afters”, so just let him get on with refereeing the game. I’ve mentioned the Forest midfield three a lot and although they can be a strength in terms of experience and pedigree, they may be Forest’s Achilles heel too. All of them like to tackle, and each aren’t immune from coming off their feet in the tackle either. Stroud is fine with hard and fair, but not with tackles that may endanger a player – so this match may not end up 11v11. Not sure a referee has featured in one of my previews before! Prediction: Forest will feel wounded after a terrible start to the season but have enough quality to cause City problems. But I do feel City’s confidence in the way they play and their ability to make small changes to maximum effect will be good enough to return to Ashton Gate with all the points Nottingham Forest 1:2 Bristol City [Credit: @ForestBoffin) for his pressing picture] A very impressive analysis. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 13 minutes ago, Abraham Romanovich said: " Lamouchi deciding on a more robust threesome away from home." And who can blame him for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidercity1987 Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Dangerman Luke Freeman From corner's maybe, but our tactics should be just to let him have the ball. He'll look good but do naff all as per usual in open play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted October 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 5 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said: Dangerman Luke Freeman From corner's maybe, but our tactics should be just to let him have the ball. He'll look good but do naff all as per usual in open play. “My DANGERMAN with his busy running and dangerous left foot – and of course with his City connections, he’ll be looking to get one over on us”. Yep, if we give them enough set pieces, he’ll connect with some of them....that’s why he’s a danger. He can be shit in open play, but if he’s on the money from set-pieces then he’s a real danger. Plus, he’s not the player who left us, he’s improved quite a bit, very influential in QPR’s team, prompting his move to Sheff Utd. He’s no longer just stopovers and pirouettes! So that’s why he’s my dangerman!! Dangerman does not have to equal best footballer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidercity1987 Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 7 minutes ago, Davefevs said: “My DANGERMAN with his busy running and dangerous left foot – and of course with his City connections, he’ll be looking to get one over on us”. Yep, if we give them enough set pieces, he’ll connect with some of them....that’s why he’s a danger. He can be shit in open play, but if he’s on the money from set-pieces then he’s a real danger. Plus, he’s not the player who left us, he’s improved quite a bit, very influential in QPR’s team, prompting his move to Sheff Utd. He’s no longer just stopovers and pirouettes! So that’s why he’s my dangerman!! Dangerman does not have to equal best footballer. Have to agree to disagree Dave, he looked good in a poor Champ team at QPR, got his move but was bombed out from Sheff Utd pretty quickly. Now he is back in another struggling Champ team and showing no signs of being effective at the upper levels of his league. I'll be well happy if they play him as the most advanced midfielder, not a patch on our AMs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 10 minutes ago, Davefevs said: “My DANGERMAN with his busy running and dangerous left foot – and of course with his City connections, he’ll be looking to get one over on us”. Yep, if we give them enough set pieces, he’ll connect with some of them....that’s why he’s a danger. He can be shit in open play, but if he’s on the money from set-pieces then he’s a real danger. Plus, he’s not the player who left us, he’s improved quite a bit, very influential in QPR’s team, prompting his move to Sheff Utd. He’s no longer just stopovers and pirouettes! So that’s why he’s my dangerman!! Dangerman does not have to equal best footballer. If he’s improved so much why don’t the Blades want him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneTeamInBristol Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 With Keith Stroud at the helm I'm expecting the scoreline to read: Forest -2 City -1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTone Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Davefevs said: Nottingham Forest: [Saturday 3rd October 15:00] – What can we expect? The Robins travel to the City Ground on Saturday to take on Nottingham Forest who have made a dismal start to the season. Three defeats in the league and one in the cup, and yet to score a goal. With City winning all three this would normally point to a home win with the “Form Gods” seeking revenge! On paper Forest haven’t had the most difficult start either, Cardiff the only team they’ve played so far from last season’s top half. Of the teams played (Cardiff plus Barnsley, QPR and Huddersfield), none of them have recorded a win against anyone else, so it’s not like Forest have played teams that have got off to a flyer. Manager: Forest are managed by former French international Sabri Lamouchi (48). A top player in his day he played for Auxerre, Monaco, Parma, Internazionale and Marseille before taking the Ivory Coast national team job in 2012. He guided them to the 2014 World Cup with the likes of Drogba and the Toure brothers. He then spent a season at Rennes back in France before taking over at Forest at the start of last season. Pic 1 - Forest Manager Sabri Lamouchi Last season, Lamouchi led Forest to what looked like a certain play-off position, only to lose form after beating City 1-0 post-Covid, failing to win any of their last six games (D3 L3). The final day capitulation at home to Stoke (1-4) allowed Swansea to pip them for 6th place. Lamouchi’s Forest are now ten games without a win and the fans are getting restless. Pic 2 - Championship table ahead of this weekend's games [BBC Sport] Recruitment: Forest appear to be on a recruitment conveyor belt, barely a day goes by without them being linked to a new signing. In fairness, Forest have sold Matty Cash to Aston Villa for £14m, and Tyler Walker to Coventry for £1m+, so they have created the financial headroom to splash the cash (no pun). Signings: § Loic Mbe Soh - £4.5m from Paris St-Germain § Harry Arter – undisc. from Bournemouth § Scott McKenna - £3m from Aberdeen § Fouad Bachirou - £600k from Malmö § Nikolas Ioannou - £500k from APOEL Nicosia § Lyle Taylor – free from Charlton § Jack Colback – free from Newcastle (was on loan at Forest during 2018/19 season) § Tyler Blackett – free from Reading § Miguel Angel Guerrero – free from Olympiacos Loans: § Luke Freeman – from Sheffield United § Cyrus Christie – from Fulham Formation / System: Although Lamouchi hasn’t really changed the formation away from a 4231, it feels like a very different system this season. Last season I got used to seeing 2 holding midfielders supporting the technically gifted Tiago Silva, but with his injury and impending move to Olympiakos, he hasn’t featured at all this season. He was such a key player last season, able to control the tempo and much of Forest’s play went through him. In league matches, Lamouchi started QPR and Cardiff with Ryan Yates and Jack Colback behind Luke Freeman, who is very different attacking midfielder to Silva. That set-up was dispensed with on Friday night at Huddersfield where it felt much more like a midfield three with Jack Colback, Samba Sow and Harry Arter. Lamouchi deciding on a more robust threesome away from home or perhaps a reaction to Forest not coping with Cardiff’s physicality in the previous match. Pic 3 - Forest looking more like a 433 versus Huddersfield [Wyscout] You can see in the schema above that with Forest trailing 1-0, Lamouchi switched to a 442 on 76 minutes. Perhaps the surprising nature of this was on 66 minutes he replaced Lyle Taylor with Lewis Grabban, rather than pairing them. Joe Lolley withdrawn against Cardiff, relegated to the bench for this match. With Forest struggling for results and goals it does seem as if Lamouchi’s selections are beginning to look a bit confused! Build-up play: As mentioned above, Forest fans had got used to seeing their football go through Silva, but last season it had a counterattack feel to it. This season there appears to be an emphasis on more possession, but it has looked a bit sterile at times. A midfield three of Sow, Arter and Colback is likely to be tough to break down but its not what many would describe as “creative”. The triangles between Silva, Cash and Lolley are no more, so they are going to be reliant on the transitional runs of Sami Ameobi or a bit step-over and set-piece magic from Luke Freeman. In established possession we may see Scott McKenna coming forward from the back (see below) to make the extra man. Pic 4 - McKenna pushes forward but Forest still compact with Arter (31) and Sow (21) deep [v Huddersfield] Pic 5 - Forest possession ends up going backwards In the example above McKenna ultimately ends up running into a bit of a dead-end and has to pass back to Blackett, who in turn has to pass back again to Ameobi. He does eventually lay it off to the advancing Sow who tries to get a long shot off but is closed down. Both left back (Blackett) and centre back (McKenna) are out of position – an opportunity for City to exploit if they can win the ball back. The unpredictable Sami Ameobi: The type of player that doesn’t get the credit he deserves. The type of player City fans would frown upon if we signed him. A bit ungainly maybe, but capable of that bit of quality needed to unlock a tight game. Capable of clumsiness too – City fans may recall Cardiff away in 2015/16 when he missed two “sitters”! But Ameobi always carries a threat. Bolton away in 2017/18 when he strode the length of the pitch to hammer a left footed strike past Frank Fielding and claim 3 points. Pic 6 - Ameobi surrounded by Terriers midfielders Ameobi wriggles away from his marker, plays a one-two with Sow (21), and advances towards the penalty area. A give and go with Freeman and he’s checked back onto his favoured left foot - curling a shot towards the top corner. Only a great fingertip save from City-fan Ben Hamer denying him a goal. The “Lamouchi Press”: Last season, the excellent @ForestBoffin on Twitter analysed the Lamouchi pressing system. It was very much a case of Grabban allowing the ball to go out wide to the full backs / wing backs, but once the ball was wide, Forest pressed that side of the pitch (Grabban dictating which half). They condensed the area the opposition had to play in whilst also making it a smaller area for Forest players to cover - making it very difficult to play though Pic 7 - @ForestBoffin's visual of the Forest "press" [Twitter] Although predominantly a defensive system, it was also the springboard to counterattacks once the ball has been won back – Lolley and Ameobi the main beneficiaries, but also Cash. In City’s post-Covid match against Forest (a), our defenders had lots of possession with Smith and Nagy coming short to help out, but we didn’t progress the ball through Forest’s midfield lines very often. Watching the Huddersfield match, it was noticeable that new signing Arter tried to force the press with Lyle Taylor, but they weren’t in sync, and the Terriers played around them with ease. Perhaps neither has learned the “Lamouchi Press” yet! Set-Pieces: Little surprise that Luke Freeman is the main-man from set-piece delivery, and also little surprise that they use a series of runners and blockers to target the area between the near post and centre of the goal. Most teams use this as one of their options - It can be really effective as we saw last Sunday with Tom Lees running free to head straight at Dan Bentley. It is easy to spot, but difficult to stop. Pic 8 - fairly standard set-piece set up Here we can see Christie (2) run towards the corner of the 6-yard box. Mbe Soh (6) shapes to bend a run towards the near post area, but in fact he darts into the space created by McKenna’s (26) run to the back post. Pic 9 - Freeman delivers the cross to the target area Freeman puts the ball into the right area, Mbe Soh has gained half a yard on his marker and heads the ball towards goal – but Hamer saves. Possible Line-up: GK: Brice Samba (26) - Congo born, French (u19) stopper, signed from Caen in the summer of 2019 for £1.9m. A big old unit, who’s impressed me when I’ve seen him on Sky / Quest highlights. Got the knack of keeping the ball out the bet, if sometimes looking a bit unorthodox. Super distribution with his left peg, appears to effortlessly stroke the ball about. RB: Cyrus Christie (28) – experienced, promotion winning right back on loan from Fulham. Started at Coventry before moves to Derby and Middlesbrough. Full Ireland international with over 20 caps. Got a good all-round game. LB: Tyler Blackett (26) – Manchester United academy graduate who initially had loans at Blackpool and Birmingham. Had another loan at Celtic before signing for Reading in 2016 for £1.6m making over 120 appearances. Forest snapped him up on a free this summer. Can play left sided centre back too. CB: Loic Mbe Soh (19) – Cameroon born French u19 international who rose through the Paris St-Germain youth ranks. Signed for Forest for £4.5m in September and made his Tricky Trees debut last Friday against Huddersfield. CB: Scott McKenna (23) – Scottish international signed a week ago from Aberdeen for £3m and thrust straight into the starting eleven with Worrall injured. Came through the ranks at the Dons with loans at Alloa and Ayr United. Ball-playing centre back who had a lot of interest over the summer. CM: Samba Sow (31) – Mali international who can play in midfield or centre back. Started at Racing Club Lens before moving to Turkey and then Dynamo Moscow, before sealing a £600k move to Forest last summer. In and out of the side last season he started his first game of the season last weekend and was lucky to last the 57 minutes he did after totting up a succession of fouls. CM: Jack Colback (30) – experienced defensive midfielder who arrived on a free transfer from Newcastle this summer. Started at Sunderland before controversially moving to Newcastle on a free in 2014 playing over 150 Premier League matches. Has had two loan spells at Forest previously. CM: Harry Arter (30) – completes the midfield, signing for Forest for an undisclosed amount last week. Combative player who went through several non-league loans whilst at Charlton before moving to Bournemouth in 2010. Played a huge part in their rise to the Premier League as well as Fulham’s promotion last season. Undoubtedly a winner. LW: Sammy Ameobi (28) - younger brother of Shola and also started at Newcastle. Probably had his best form at Bolton, before arriving in Nottingham on a free last summer, playing all bar one league game. Can be a bit ungainly looking, but a player who has a lot of skill and long stride to nick the ball away from defenders. RW: Luke Freeman (28) – needs little introduction to City fans having had a stellar first season at Ashton Gate in 2014/15 as City won League One (56 matches / 7 goals / 21 assists). Started at Gillingham before moving to Arsenal, then Stevenage where he first caught my eye. Moved from City to QPR with his contract running out and then to Sheffield United last summer. Forest have secured him on loan this season. My DANGERMAN with his busy running and dangerous left foot – and of course with his City connections, he’ll be looking to get one over on us. Pic 10 - Luke Freeman at Bristol City (2014/15) CF: Lewis Grabban (32) - the oldest player in the team, who appeared to have the life of a journeyman in Lg1/2, before his career took off, earning big money moves from Bournemouth, Norwich and loans to Sunderland and Villa, before arriving at Forest in the summer of 2018 for £6m. Top scorer with 20 goals last season, and a real threat inside the box, as well as a good link man outside it. Other Players of note: CB: Joe Worrall (23) - local lad who’s had loans at Dagenham and Glasgow Rangers before becoming first choice last season. Big, strong lad, who looks a leader, and is the one who likes to attack the ball on the deck and in the air. Good player who is currently injured. LB: Nikolas Ioannou (24) – ex-Manchester United u18 player who moved back home to APOEL Nicosia in 2014 making over 100 appearances. Has 18 full caps for his country and signed for Forrest last week. CM: Ryan Yates (22) - another Nottingham lad in the squad. Started to become a regular last season and a big lad, who doesn’t seem afraid to leave his mark. Likes to get forward. Got a red card at Ashton Gate last season in the 0-0 draw. RW: Joe Lolley (28) - not the usual route into pro football for this player. Having been released by Brum and embarking on further education, he found himself at Kidderminster, before hitting the bigger time at Huddersfield, where he was linked with City. Got a very good left foot, and not afraid to shoot, often cutting in from the right. Was left out of the last game and perhaps missing the link up with Matty Cash. CF: Lyle Taylor (30) – much travelled forward, who’s progressed up the football ladder via the likes of Concord Rangers, Lewes and Woking, before starting to make a name for himself at Falkirk. Moves to AFC Wimbledon (55 goals in 150 apps) and Charlton (36 in 67) didn’t stop his scoring exploits either. Cool penalty taker too! How do we win? 1. Deal with a new challenge In the Championship fixtures so far, all of City’s opponents have played with a back three (Coventry, Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday) - Forest will be the first opponent to play a traditional back four. This will present a different set of problems to overcome. One strategy used last week which was less obvious was the way Jack Hunt’s high starting position and energetic forward runs kept his opposite number (Kadeem Harris) deep. Not only did this negate Harris’s own threat, but it gave space for Vyner to move into and play shorter passes into Martin and Wells. Pic 11 - Hunt drags Harris deep creating room for Vyner (versus Sheffield Wednesday) However, that tactic goes out of the window with Hunt likely to have the Forest left back (Blackett) and left winger (Ameobi) in front of him on Saturday. On the other side Rowe or Dasilva will have Freeman and Christie doubling up. Unless City concentrate attacks centrally looking for slide rule passes for Wells, they are going to need to drag the Forest’s full backs into narrow positions to create space wide for our wing backs. Weimann and Paterson are key to this – they both have the natural energy and desire to run beyond their midfield markers. If City couple this with Vyner, Mawson and Moore’s ability to bring the ball forward engaging Sow, Arter or Colback, then Forest’s central three may have to pass-on responsibility for tracking Weimann or Paterson. Pic 12 - Weimann puts the overlapping Hunt through to create the first goal versus Exeter City In the picture above, Paterson has run beyond the midfield line (and beyond his marker) and has forced the Exeter left back to pick him up. Weimann gets a pass from Moore, rolls his midfield marker, and slides a pass to Hunt who is beyond his ball-watching opponent. Hunt goes on to cross for Paterson to score. 2. High tempo passing Forest will naturally want to set up with their three central midfielders protecting their back four. As mentioned earlier neither Sow, Colback or Arter are expansive, although Arter probably the more expressive of the trio. Slower possession from City will be easily absorbed, therefore when the ball is recycled across the pitch it needs to be done quickly. We have seen how City can move the ball between Alfie Mawson (see pass map below) and Zak Vyner without needing the extra pass to Taylor Moore. Pic 13 - Alfie Mawson pass map versus Stoke – notice the longer passes to the right centre back position [Wyscout] 3. Take advantage of a new back four Forest went through most of last season’s campaign with a fairly settled defensive group. Matty Cash made 42 starts, Joe Worrall 46, Tobias Figueiredo 30, Yuri Ribeiro 27, with back up from Michael Dawson and Jack Robinson with 18 apiece. In the league games alone this season Lamouchi has selected the following defenders: § Lawrence-Gabriel | Figueiredo | Worrall | Blackett § Jenkinson | Figueiredo | Worrall | Ribeiro § Christie | Mbe Soh | McKenna | Blackett Last week’s defeat at Huddersfield saw a back four of new signings. There could even be more changes should Nikolas Ioannou come in at left back for his debut. Hopefully City can take advantage of no discernible partnership at the back for Forest. Pic 14 - Cardiff break but Forest in good shape, Ojo marked by Ribeiro (LB) Pic 15 - Ojo runs across Ribeiro who passes him on to Figueiredo (CB) Pic 16 - Figueiredo allows Ojo to run in behind Worrall without passing him on In the above sequence we can see a good pass-on between Ribeiro and Figueiredo, but Worrall is completely unaware than Ojo is going to dart in behind him, he’s more interested where Kieffer Moore is heading and is too late to react to the pass, allowing Ojo into the penalty area. It is this type of poor communication that can be taken advantage of by Nahki Wells. He is naturally a clever runner around the box, and if he and Chris Martin can cause bad handovers between their markers then they can cause real problems. 4. Don’t give Keith Stroud an excuse! Although City look much more streetwise this season, they are still not a side that look like they are ready to go toe-to-toe for 90 minutes physically – it will need to be their football that wins through in the main. I’m pretty sure Arter will be looking to make a mark on Bakinson early on, and it is important that City don’t react to this type of tactic - especially with Keith Stroud as referee. He is one to brandish red cards for any “afters”, so just let him get on with refereeing the game. I’ve mentioned the Forest midfield three a lot and although they can be a strength in terms of experience and pedigree, they may be Forest’s Achilles heel too. All of them like to tackle, and each aren’t immune from coming off their feet in the tackle either. Stroud is fine with hard and fair, but not with tackles that may endanger a player – so this match may not end up 11v11. Not sure a referee has featured in one of my previews before! Prediction: Forest will feel wounded after a terrible start to the season but have enough quality to cause City problems. But I do feel City’s confidence in the way they play and their ability to make small changes to maximum effect will be good enough to return to Ashton Gate with all the points Nottingham Forest 1:2 Bristol City [Credit: @ForestBoffin) for his pressing picture] Condensed Version Forest: FFS Daffyd !! 1-2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfc01 Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 34 minutes ago, Major Isewater said: If he’s improved so much why don’t the Blades want him? Premier League v Championship presumably. Not quite up to the former but a decent player in the latter ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin101 Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Would we be happy with a point to continue the good start, or would that represent a missed opportunity for 12/12? Personally wouldn’t be too unhappy with a point. On that note, do we think Holden’s insistence that we’re out to win every game is just good PR? Or do we really think we are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTone Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 minute ago, Robin101 said: Would we be happy with a point to continue the good start, or would that represent a missed opportunity for 12/12? Personally wouldn’t be too unhappy with a point. On that note, do we think Holden’s insistence that we’re out to win every game is just good PR? Or do we really think we are? The whole idea is that we should be out to win every game surely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davefevs Posted October 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 2 hours ago, cidercity1987 said: Have to agree to disagree Dave, he looked good in a poor Champ team at QPR, got his move but was bombed out from Sheff Utd pretty quickly. Now he is back in another struggling Champ team and showing no signs of being effective at the upper levels of his league. I'll be well happy if they play him as the most advanced midfielder, not a patch on our AMs. Hey, that’s fine. I don’t think the plan was for Forest to be struggling though. I suspect he thought he was going to a good side 2 hours ago, Major Isewater said: If he’s improved so much why don’t the Blades want him? 1 hour ago, bcfc01 said: Premier League v Championship presumably. Not quite up to the former but a decent player in the latter ? I’m not suggesting he’s a world beater....but I fear his set pieces and the “former player” effect. That’s why he’s my dangerman. I think Ameobi is a bigger threat in general play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 hour ago, bcfc01 said: Premier League v Championship presumably. Not quite up to the former but a decent player in the latter ? At least we got our sell ons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 hour ago, BigTone said: The whole idea is that we should be out to win every game surely I believe Holden will tell his players to get on the front foot try to get an early goal and turn the screw. Everyone knows that at this level mistakes are punished but we should have enough to make it a very uncomfortable afternoon for Lamouchy and his team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTone Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 17 minutes ago, Major Isewater said: I believe Holden will tell his players to get on the front foot try to get an early goal and turn the screw. Everyone knows that at this level mistakes are punished but we should have enough to make it a very uncomfortable afternoon for Lamouchy and his team. Pinkies crossed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveInSA Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Another great write up from @Davefevs The smart money says, Forest to win by a Freeman assist to Ameobi for the goal. But I'm not smart, so I'm agreeing 1-2, City scoring two, Forest scoring one in the 85 minute and then 5 minutes of squeaky bum time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 20 minutes ago, DaveInSA said: Another great write up from @Davefevs The smart money says, Forest to win by a Freeman assist to Ameobi for the goal. But I'm not smart, so I'm agreeing 1-2, City scoring two, Forest scoring one in the 85 minute and then 5 minutes of squeaky bum time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUSSEL85 Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 7 hours ago, bcfc01 said: Leave me out of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazred Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 You spoil us with these @Davefevs, really good as always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolcitysweden Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 What we should expect is a 4-0 win. Roll them over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hertsexile Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 We can expect a hard game with Stroud in charge!! We are currently playing with confidence and style so can see us getting over this huddle positively. As Basso said”always believe “ COYR. I spoke to a florist fan today he said “ will not be watching as he thinks they will be hammered “ we shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leveller Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 7 hours ago, BigTone said: Condensed Version Forest: FFS Daffyd !! 1-2 Ahem ... Dafydd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTone Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 18 minutes ago, Leveller said: Ahem ... Dafydd. Apologies 40 minutes ago, bristolcitysweden said: What we should expect is a 4-0 win. Roll them over. My man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leveller Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 13 minutes ago, BigTone said: Apologies My man No problem Big Tonne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTone Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 2 minutes ago, Leveller said: No problem Big Tonne.h I might be big but a tonne is just a tad OTT. Half a tonne maybe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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