Joey Barton’s Fleetwood came to The City Ground for our first round game in the League Cup and it was a good opportunity for me and the nipper to catch a glimpse of the new recruits on show for Forest. Whilst the game wasn’t a huge spectacle and had a feel of pre-season, it was a really good exercise for many of our aspiring first teamers. Joey Barton has certainly put his mark on the team which were fully committed throughout and weren’t afraid of putting the boot in! You’d expect nothing less. instead of the usual match report, I’ve given more of a run down on the player’s performances from the evening.
It was pleasing to see that Joe Worrall had been given the armband for the evening and more proof in the pudding perhaps that Sabri Lamouchi has a lot of faith in Joe. If I’m honest, I didn’t see Joe as a first choice starter at the back, given that he’s got two very good central defenders behind him vying for the shirt also So far so good for though and whilst the Leeds game was a different kettle of fish compared to last night, there was an air of authority and calmness whilst captaining the team.
Alongside him was Tobi Figuerido who has become a bit of a forgotten man at Forest. It’s been stop/start for Tobi since he picked up an injury at the back end of the 2017/18 campaign which curtailed a really promising start to his Forest career. When he got himself back into the team last October, he got sent off at Villa and then picked up an innocuous looking injury in January which kept him out for months. He got himself back into contention before the end of the season but he had only played 14 times in total. Maybe surprisingly given the nod over Alex Milosevic last night, Figs did all the basic things well in terms of heading and kicking it. He’s a true stopper in that sense. He’s not the greatest on the ball, possibly a reason why he isn’t first choice for Sabri Lamouchi at this time. He did fine last night and is another player who will add genuine competition to the squad. We’ve got a wealth of good centre-halves now.
Brice Samba made his debut in goal and early on, he settled any nerves with some confident catching and a couple of routine saves. Ironically he tipped a speculative shot over his bar as a safety first exercise, as it didn’t look like it was ever going in. You can never be too sure on these debuts! Brice has got a big kick on him and one in particular reached the Fleetwood penalty area. Physically, he’s taller than I imagined and he looks very strong. He was called into action on a couple of occasions in the 2nd half when Fleetwood were looking a genuine threat on the break. He palmed one shot to safety but the standout save was from a Ross Wallace free kick towards the death. Diving full stretch to his left, he got a big hand on a decent swerving hit from the barrel-chested Scotsman.
Carl Jenkinson started at right full back and reminded me a little of Greg Halford in terms of his physicality. He’s quite a big, gangly lad but he is very comfortable on the ball. He made a couple of good runs in the first half which ended with decent balls into the box. He didn’t look flustered throughout the night and played well. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod on Saturday. It would be harsh on Matty Cash but Carl hasn’t come to play 2nd fiddle. It’s a healthy situation for that position given last night’s assured debut.
Yuri Ribeiro made his debut at left back and I was keen to have a look at him as we hadn’t seen much of him during pre-season. He’s not the tallest but he’s got some grit and determination to make up for that. He’ll definitely face sterner tests and last night’s game won’t be a true indication of his defensive ability. However, he looked really keen to make a good impression and he did just that. Going forwards, Ribeiro looked confident on the ball and was always an option on the left hand side, taking up some good positions. He carries the ball well and was always looking to find a red shirt and support on the overlap. He got into a bit of bother with Ross Wallace at the end which was good to see. You can never have enough left backs at Forest in my opinion and so hopefully, Ribeiro can push Jack Robinson all the way this season. A good debut.
Samba Sow anchored the midfield in place for Ben Watson and it was a really good opportunity for him to get more game time and shake off some of the rustiness. Carrying on from his battling performance on Saturday, he’s a good competitor who is quite tidy and skilful for a big man. He showed his class on a few occasions to turn and carry the ball away from players when under pressure. He found himself in good positions last night but didn’t have his shooting boots on. He’ll have to match Ben Watson’s know how and consistency if he’s to oust him from the team but ability wise, Sow has got that little extra on the ball that Ben doesn’t. Game time was the priority last night for Samba and it was a steady run out.
Out of all of the signings we’ve made so far this summer, the one I’ve been most excited about is the arrival of John Bostock. I can’t say that I’ve followed his career intensely over the years but for a player that carried such a heavy reputation as a kid, I don’t think his talent has ever been questioned. There is a good mini-doc on his Twitter profile about him which is a good watch and it tells about his character and journey through football. I honestly thought that he was a potential trouble maker given the number of clubs he has played for but he comes across as a decent enough lad. I genuinely got excited about his YouTube player profile video. Now I know it’s hardly a measure of a player in this day and age; I think Fawaz signed enough players on watching those clips alone, but his range of passing from deep positions was impressive. I think he’ll be key in how Lamouchi will want us to play on the counter attack. On last night’s assessment, he looks very confident on the ball and he should improve our ball retention (my biggest bug bear if you’ve read my assessment from first 2 games). Bostock has got a nice left peg and he hit a couple of booming cross field balls with it to show off his potential and what he can do for the team in switching the play quickly. In contrast, he notably played a couple of quality passes which led to opportunities; and the winning goal from Tiago Silva. Picking the ball up on the right hand side, he clipped a lovely ball over the top with his left foot as he shaped to hit it cross field once more. If I dare say it, he reminds me a little of Lewis McGugan. There is a bit of Hollywood about him, hair style and all. We’ll see how this pans out! Overall, it was a gentle-ish run out for Bostock with a couple of wayward shots and a yellow card for subsequent fouling. Again, game time was the most important thing for him last night but a steady debut.
Tiago Silva has had a couple of really tough games to make his mark against well-established sides in Leeds and West Brom. I think he has found the pace of the games difficult to keep up with but last night was a really good chance for him to get more minutes under his belt in adapting to English football. I said at the weekend that with more belief, there will be a lot more to come from Tiago. Fleetwood were really competitive last night so it wasn’t a stroll by any stretch but the difference in his quality was evident for all to see. It was a really encouraging performance and certainly his best in a Forest shirt yet. Tiago’s got a low sense of gravity which can help him get out of tight situations and link up attacks. He’s very good at the spin when in possession and spreading the play. Sat in family section of the Peter Taylor Stand last night, I got a real close up of his set piece prowess. He hit a couple of corners that were unlucky not to bring more reward. Figuerido missed a half decent chance with one ball that was whipped in flat and at pace. He’s going to be a big asset from those positions. He took his goal very well, getting in a good position and having the composure to take a touch and lift it over the defenders leg before smashing it into the goal. He was chuffed to bits! It was nice to see that his team mates were too with the extended huddle afterwards. He was my man of the match.
Tiago gets his first of (hopefully!) many in a Forest Shirt (Pic courtesy of Lois Eley Enterprises.inc)
The attacking players had a more tricky evening given that Fleetwood had put plenty behind the ball until they started to chase the game in the last 15 minutes or so. Rafa Mir didn’t have a great deal of opportunity to impress and similar to Lewis Grabban’s experiences so far in leading the Forest attack; he didn’t have a notable chance to judge him on. Up against a couple of cloggers, he battled well enough and showed some decent touches on the ball but it wasn’t an easy game. In terms of our forward play, it’s not completely clear of how this is going to pan out for now. The emphasis is very much on the midfielders and full backs working openings and that pattern is going to take time to develop. Like any manager, Lamouchi will want his strikers to be in the right positions but our general play isn’t about lumping balls up to the big target man. I think our strikers are going to have to remain patient for now. If I do have an early concern, it is about those lack of opportunities for our strikers to truly effect a game but hopefully it will come.
In the wider positions, Sammi Ameobi had an opportunity to get a full 90 under his belt and whilst it wasn’t a neck breaking performance, Sammi continues to show enough quality in patches to provide those opportunities for our strikers. He continues to show needle in his performances too, he likes to give as good as he gets. I’m confident about what he can offer over the course of the season. In games where we will need somebody to produce some magic, Sammi, as he showed against Leeds, has it in his locker. Arvin Appiah got his first taste of the action for the season and showed some strong running with the ball, particularly in the 1st half. Arvin almost glides when he has the ball at his feet and isn’t easy to knock off the ball, he drew a number of free kicks from dribbling situations. Confidence is a big thing now for Arvin because he’s shown that he is in the squad on merit but the question is: can he go that little bit extra? I think with more belief to get a shot away or beat a man and whip a cross in, there is undoubted potential there.
With regards to our subs, I was really pleased with Brennan Johnson when he came on for the last 15 minutes or so. Brennan seems to have the belief in his own ability that we haven’t quite seen yet from Arvin. Up against Ross Wallace, he showed a few flashes of skill and eye for a pass. There was one notable occasion where Wallace put the reducer on young Brennan, as a gentle warning not to take the piss. On the ball, Brennan showed skill and a turn of pace on two occasions which got him to the by-line and on another day, those opportunities may have turned to goals. For me, Brennan has that extra bit of natural ability on the ball over many of the other midfielders in our squad. Whilst he looks like he can get up and down from a No.8 position, there is no doubt that when Joao Carvalho is not around, we miss a creative edge. I’m not saying that we should be expecting great things from Brennan this season but he looks like he is willing to strut his stuff when the opportunity comes his way. Definitely looks one for the future.
All in all, it was a positive evening and the majority of the new signings and younger members of the squad impressed. Fleetwood made it a good game with their competitive edge and missed a couple of great chances to level the scores up. The ref will have given the new recruits a greater taste of what’s to come in The Championship this season also; inconsistenty, whistle happy and determined to be centre of attention!
RATINGS
TEAM PERFORMANCE: 6 – a better showing albeit against lesser opposition. Positives all round.
SAMBA: 6 – Steady and looks like he’ll be a decent investment on this showing.
JENKINSON: 6 – Assured and will offer an outlet going forwards.
RIBEIRO: 7- Made some willing runs to support Ameobi and showed confidence on the ball.
WORRALL: 6 – Didn’t really look flustered all evening.
FIGUEIRDO: 6 – No nonsense approach, no frills, enjoys defending.
SOW: 6 – Awkward looking on the ball at times but definitely possesses quality.
BOSTOCK: 6 – Dodgy haircut and some suspect tackling. Showed a glimpse of his true quality with assist for goal.
SILVA: 7 -Had a good game in the midfield and earned his goal. Man of the Match
APPIAH: 6 – A couple of good runs but still playing within himself a little. As his confidence grows, we’ll see a lot more from Arvin’s potential to hurt teams.
MIR: 5 – A lone figure for much of the game. Difficult to judge strikers at the moment.
AMEOBI: 6 – Showed a couple of good moments. More of a run out for Sammi last night.
SUBS:
CASH: 6 – More honest running and commitment from Matty.
JOHNSON: 6: Caught the eye with his skills and willingness to; get into good areas and effect the game.