Forest
Same old, same old Forest. Reds fans have seen their team perched in second place, being denied top spot only on goal difference, licking their lips for inviting fixtures away at Wigan Athletic and at home to Hull City but, remarkably, ending the week in eighth.
After a euphoric start to the season that included emphatic victories away at Fulham, Swansea City and Stoke City, the past four days have seen Forest fans come crashing down to earth. Indeed, a 1-0 loss away at a struggling Wigan and a 1-2 home loss to ten-man Hull has brought the Sabri Lamouchi bandwagon to a depressing halt.
In truth, though, it’s been coming; Forest have flattered to deceive this season. Stealing goals against the run of play and hanging on to victories for dear life have become trademarks of this Lamouchi side, while goalkeeping heroics from fan-favourite Brice Samba have also papered over the cracks.
A defeat was looming, and, if anything, necessary. Certain issues (i.e the unstable starting XI, lack of depth in the striker position and the slow movement of the ball in possession) that haven’t been properly addressed are now being brought under intense scrutiny, something that can only be healthy and a learning curve for the Reds and Lamouchi.
Forest’s post-international break rut should take nothing away from the positive work at the start of the season, however. Lamouchi has moulded Forest into a side very difficult to beat, while Joe Worrall and Ben Watson have both improved significantly under the Frenchman. The consensus among the fanbase is that eighth seems about right for Forest so far. Yet Lamouchi needs to address the recurring issues swiftly and get back to winning ways on Saturday as, with ambitions of promotion, they can not afford to rest on their laurels and lose ground on the leading pack.
Reading
The appointment of Welshman Mark Bowen as new head coach has coincided with a small upturn in form for Reading, as is often the case when a new manager joins a club. They head into Saturday’s game on the back of four points from two difficult matches: a 1-0 win at home to Preston North End and a 2-2 draw away at QPR, notable improvements from a dire start to the season which saw Jose Gomes lose his job.
Bowen - rather incredibly - was the sporting director of the club, yet was told by his superiors that he was best fit for the vacant job. The defensive-minded Welshman has little managerial experience, best known for his work as assistant to Mark Hughes, who was not exactly known for his adventurous football himself.
Understandably, the appointment was met by furore and heaps of disapproval from the Reading faithful who felt that there were better, more experienced candidates out there, and that Bowen’s supposed reactive style of football would not suit a squad that has been moulded around Gomes’ possession-based, aesthetically pleasing philosophy. Nevertheless, the early signs are promising.
A trip to the City Ground is a daunting prospect for any side, especially against a Forest team determined to prove a point after their last outing. It will be Bowen’s toughest test yet, but it’s not in these games that Reading’s season will be defined. The Royals sit in 20th, with top 10 a reasonable goal for the campaign. Easier opportunities lie ahead for Bowen’s side to bolster their points tally.
Team News
For the Reds, star midfielders Alfa Semedo and Samba Sow will miss out through injury. “Samba Sow and Alfa Semedo, they need more days – more weeks, maybe – to work with the medical department,” Lamouchi told Nottinghamshire Live.
Skipper Michael Dawson is also unlikely to feature with a calf issue, while Tendayi Darikwa remains sidelined with a long-term ACL injury.
The Royals will be without Yakou Méïté, Lucas João and Lucas Boyé, with the latter two longer term absentees.
Predicted lineups:
Forest: (4,2,3,1), Samba, Ribeiro, Chema, Worrall, Cash, Watson, Silva, Adomah, Carvalho, Ameobi Grabban.
Reading: (3–5-2), Cabral, Moore, Morrison, Miazga, Richards, Yiadom, Pelé, Swift, Ejaria, Puscas, Baldock.
Lamouchi must regain balance in midfield
Samba Sow joined Forest in the summer for an unsuspecting £630k fee from Dinamo Moscow, with many questioning the arrival of yet another midfielder. Few anticipated not only the impact he would have in the midfield, but also the void he would leave when injured.
Sow emerged as a true warrior in the middle of the park, breaking up play, driving with the ball, winning ariel duels, constantly passing forward, and often simply disrupting the opposition’s play with his sheer physical stature. He and Watson developed a magnificent midfield partnership.
Although, since his departure through injury, the Reds have lost twice on the bounce and have looked a far cry from their past selves, particularly in midfield. With Semedo also out injured, Lamouchi threw in John Bostock against Wigan to partner Watson in the 4-4-2. The Englishman showed flashes of quality, but generally lacked industry and intensity on a day where the Latics completely overran Forest in midfield.
Scrambling for answers, Lamouchi started Tiago Silva alongside Watson against Hull, a No.10 by definition. As would be expected of a player of such technical prowess, Silva dictated the tempo on the ball, spraying 40 yard cross field balls with ease. The problem, however, was out of possession. Silva - at 5’7 - and Watson - at 5’10- simply could not compete physically against an extremely direct Hull side.
Holding midfielder Ryan Yates has returned from injury, so he could always plug the gap beside Watson. But then again, Yates and Watson are very similar players, too similar, possibly, to play alongside one another. It will most likely be an issue that is solved over time, once the likes of Sow and Semedo return to full fitness. Temporarily, though, Lamouchi needs to find an answer.
Puscas could trouble Chema in the air
Josh Magennis, despite receiving a red-card in the 68th minute, was the star of a spirited Tigers performance on Wednesday night. The tall, burly centre-forward ran Forest centre-back Chema ragged, winning every ariel duel against the Spaniard, then bringing others into play.
Chema stuck tight to Magennis on the long-balls, being dragged into midfield, but came out second best every time, leaving the defence exposed in the process. The Spaniard, should he start on Saturday - will face a similar opponent in George Puscas, who joined the Royals from Inter Milan in the summer for £7million.
Puscas, despite underwhelming for Reading this season - is 6’2, the same height as Magennis, and built with a similar physical stature. Should Reading provide him with adept ariel service, the Bulgarian could cause similar problems to Chema as Magennis did.
What’s more, is Bowen, so far, has opted for the old-fashioned striker duo, with Sam Baldock partnering Puscas up top. The benefit of two up top against a back four is that if one striker flicks a header beyond one centre-back, the other can find themselves one-on-one with the other centre-back, a position which no defender wants to be in. To combat this, Lamouchi could switch to three at the back and mirror Reading’s system, but an abrupt formation change is always a risky move, especially with only a few days to prepare for the match.
But, according to Bowen, this is the gruelling nature of the Championship, little rest, lots of action: and he feels his side are ready to battle.
“This is the brutality of this league; no hiding place and no rest-up. You have to wipe yourselves down and go again, and I know these guys will do,” declared Bowen in an interview with Reading Football Club after the 2-2 draw at QPR.
“It is a hard, long season. You have to grind out games and keep putting points on the board. We can take enormous confidence from the last two games into our trip this weekend. We’ll recover after QPR, as you have to in this league, and we’ll be ready for Nottingham Forest on Saturday.”
In an interview with Nottingham Forest FC after the disappointing defeat against Hull, Lamouchi urged his players to repay the home support and bounce back this weekend, he said:
“We need to come back with three points because this is a bad moment for us and in bad moments we need to stick together and play simpler and more compact. We need to find the right solution quickly and quickly is Saturday.”
“I was happy to see the stadium full tonight and on Saturday hopefully it will be full again and we will have the full support and we will try for a better result than tonight.”