Whilst I was making the most of the sunshine and losing on the horses at Doncaster Races, Chris Slack was handed his debut to reflect on Forest’s cracking win at Swansea…
In what seems to be something of a pattern in the early stages of this season, Forest found themselves on the road travelling to possession hungry, goal happy, table topping opposition, this time in the shape of somewhat surprise package Swansea City!
The pre match selection news was interesting, five changes with head coach Sabri Lamouchi shuffling his pack from the last league fixture before the seasons first international break. Matty Cash returning for Jenkinson was no shock due to the injury news that had broken on Friday, but the four other changes showed that Lamouchi has no room for sentiment with Semedo, Silva, Robinson and the talisman of the side Lolley being replaced by Sow, a fit again Joao Carvalho, Adomah and Ribeiro respectively. A coach lives and dies by his selection and this looked like a couple of big calls. That said, Sow and Adomah have been banging on the coach’s door with recent performances, and with Joe Lolley as yet only showing glimpses of the previous seasons form and both Silva and Semedo still settling in to the rigours of the Championship this still looked a strong starting 11.
The match started much as expected on a glorious afternoon in the principality with City knocking the ball about between themselves. Unbeaten in 6 games so far and firing in goals a plenty, this was a confident side Forest were facing.
Fortunately Forest hadn’t come to be the next notch on Swanseas bed post and while conceding possession to the Welshman as has become familiar away from home this season the reds began to look increasingly menacing on the counter. The combinations down the left between Ribeiro, Ameobi, Carvalho and Grabban were starting to become a real problem for Swansea and in the 15th minute some slick interplay and a beautiful touch in the box from Carvalho led to a good save by Woodman from Ameobi.
Como has podido fallar esto Ameobi… menudo toque de Carvalho!! pic.twitter.com/ZBDJU7m29G
— Rojo Garibaldi (@RojoGaribaldi) September 14, 2019
This was the Lamouchi style we’d been told about in the summer when the Frenchman took the helm at the City Ground. A solid defence and fast transitions from back to front. The pace of Ribeiro coming forward from left back was a real feature of Forest’s counter attacks.
The next chance of the game wasn’t long in coming. Starting initially down the left hand side, Carvalho hit a low ball across the for the on rushing Matty Cash, only for Forests right back to hit it well across the keeper but tantalisingly wide of the far post.
Swansea were still dominating the ball, but not going anywhere with it. Forest on the other hand were looking efficient and getting in behind Swansea seemingly at will. When the Welshman did come forward they were met with a solid red wall of Watson, Dawson and Worrall. A special mention must go to Ben Watson, who despite being maligned by many Forest fans has cemented his place at the base of our midfield. He may not be spectacular, but he’s starting to put himself into the “unsung hero” bracket the way he covers the central defenders and allows our full backs to rampage forward. He may have a fight on his hands to keep the shirt when Bostock is up to full match fitness but right now he’s doing a solid job.
18 minutes in and it looked looked like Forest had made the breakthrough that their play deserved, Carvalho sliding a ball through for Grabban, who finished like a man on form only to be denied by the linesmans flag. Frustrating but the signs were positive. Keep this up and we looked good to come away with 3 points!
It took until the 24th min for Forests next big chance, Grabban again the player involved and this time acrobatically rattling the woodwork. Was it going to be one of those days, the proverbial game of two halves because surely Swansea wouldn’t be as open as this all game. Good on the ball yes, but they lack the intensity of a Leeds or Fulham when they are in possession. The departure of Ollie Mcburnie certainly means they have less of a physical threat. Borja Mayoral as their main striker seemed a peripheral figure, marshalled well by Daws and Worrall, and Bersant Celina looked a shadow of the player who menaced the Czechs and England in the recent internationals. Fair to say he’d not had to get round a unit like Samba Sow in those games……
The half wore on in a similar pattern. Forest menacing with every counter, with Cash driving forward more often down the right and providing a balance to the marauding Ribeiro. The only effort of real note as the clock ticked toward half time came from a Carvalho free kick and a Worrall knock down, ending with a blocked effort.
The Swans did register an effort, when a cutback from Forests right hand side was blocked on it’s way to goal and out for a corner.
Half time and it was looking good. The only thing Forest had failed to do was score. Brice Samba in the sticks had been pretty much unworked bar mopping up a couple of through balls and claiming the odd cross. A little slip early in the half with the striker nearby the only blot on his copybook. The Reds looked for the first time in a few seasons that the international break had actually done them a favour by giving Sabri more time on the training ground with the majority of the players. Whatever his methods are, these boys look like they’re buying into it. Lewis Grabban looks happy to be out there, the combination with Carvalho looking like it will pay dividends again the fitter and sharper JC gets. Optimism for the second half was high!
The first ten minutes of the half are something of a blank to me. Literally rather than figuratively. The stream I was watching decided to go awry. Thankfully it seems the players on both sides waited until I returned until the action resumed. I picked the match back up and Swansea decided that they would make the first change, Celina, who does look like he has ability was hooked off. Unable to break the shackles of Watson, Steve Cooper had seen enough and decided to twist by bringing on George Byers. A decision that Cooper would probably regret later…
A couple of minutes later and the reds followed suit. Lamouchi taking off Adomah and replacing him with Joe Lolley. Not a bad option to have!
The match drifted in familiar pattern, but the change had made the Swans look livelier. Forest by no means under the cosh but the welsh outfit came close with an Ayew header just wide of the post as they enjoyed their best spell of the game. Surely we weren’t going to throw it away now after such a good 1st half. As they began to get more on top Lamouchi decided to make his 2nd change of the half and Ameobi was replaced by the gangly Alfa Semedo. Unlike his Welsh counter part, Sabri Lamouchi does seem to have the knack of getting things right so far with his changes, but more of that shortly.
Forest started to get back into the game as an attacking force after weathering the brief Swansea storm, the 71st minute bringing a corner and not 1 but 2 shots blocked in the passage of play. Frustrated again, the game seemed to be heading towards a nil nil conclusion. Swans toothless and Forest unable to get the ball over the line. In fairness, I’d have taken that before kick off and was mulling over how this write up would be focusing on the what might have been. How wrong I was.
By this time Forest had made their third sub. Thiago Silva on for a tiring Carvalho. Carvalho had made a good league come back and his flashes of class were evident. With a gaffer that has stated he likes technically gifted players, JC is surely going to have a big season!
The substitution meant that Semedo was pushed slightly further up the pitch in support of Lewis Grabban, and it would be this combo that deservedly won the 3 points. A loose pass from Byers was seized on by Grabban just inside his own half, and the Forest striker powered down the right, holding off the Swans defender before cutting into the penalty area and picking out the advancing Semedo at the back post. It didn’t look the cleanest of hits as the ball bounced into the roof of the net. If he’d been a yard further out I suspect it would have been a conversion rather than a try (bit of rugby humour there for the Welsh). Nit picking aside, the goal sparked mass celebrations amongst the players who seem to have a great spirit of togetherness and they must have felt the same sense of relief that we all did after when the ball finally went in.
Swansea tried to get themselves back into the game, but with the clock ticking down it was too little too late. The back four held firm until the end, indeed limiting the league leaders to just one shot on target in their own back yard.
This had been another very good away showing, and this time with Forest providing real and sustained threat for most of the match rather than nicking the points while being pegged back. “Shithousing” is the term I believe for the Leeds and Fulham games.
The positive for me is it still looks like it can get better. Carvalho will get fitter and last out 90 mins, Bostock will surely get game time and he looks like he has a real range of passing to unlock teams. Joe Lolley will become the force we expect him to be unless something goes badly wrong. The home form although currently patchy will improve, especially if we can get all 26,000 home fans to get behind the lads like the away support does. Once again the travelling fans have been a credit to the club, and the 8,300 going to the Emirates will hopefully do us proud and get their just rewards with a big scalp.
Right now Sabri Lamouchi is bringing back that loving feeling, or as the French say, J’adore!
Ratings
Team Performance: 8. Another fine away day, Forest managed to add their own attacking threat to the now trademark resolute defensive performance. If we can translate this to home performances it will be a good season
Player Ratings:
Brice Samba – 6. An afternoon with very little to do. Made an early slip but got away with it, mopped up a couple of though ball and caught a couple of crosses. Seems to communicate well and command back four well. Will have busier afternoons against worse opposition.