Latest Nottingham Forest news as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds prepare to face Brighton and Hove Albion
Nottingham Forest make the trip to the south coast on Sunday for a big clash with Brighton and Hove Albion.
March did not get off to the start the Reds had hoped for as they fell to a controversial 1-0 defeat at home to Liverpool last weekend. That made it three losses in a row in all competitions for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who sit four points above third-bottom Luton Town in the Premier League table.
Ahead of the match at the Amex Stadium, there was plenty for Forest reporter Sarah Clapson to discuss in a live Q&A on our Reds Facebook page. Below is a look at how it panned out.
A: Brighton are a really good team. It will be a difficult game. But there is still an opportunity for Forest to go there and cause problems. Forest are capable of giving any side a go, they showed that against Manchester United in the FA Cup and against Liverpool on Saturday. They have been competitive in most games under Nuno.
Fine margins are proving the difference at the moment. Forest have a lot to be encouraged by and plenty of positives to take from recent games, even though the results haven’t been coming. Little things are costing them.
For the most part under Nuno, scoring goals and creating chances haven’t been a problem. However, in the last couple of games sometimes the final balls or the finishing haven’t quite been there.
And then they have had little lapses defensively. On Saturday, Forest defended brilliantly for 97 minutes but then got punished for one lapse. The Premier League is so tough. If you’re not 100 percent at it for 98-odd minutes, teams are capable of punishing you.
Forest showed what they are capable of earlier in Nuno’s reign, particularly away from home in that Newcastle game. That really set the standard of what they can do under Nuno, so they are capable of going to Brighton and getting something.
Q: Key to Sunday is not to capsize in the first half. We go into many games feeling positive but poor starts leave us with too much to do.
A: Completely agree. Forest have started slowly in some games and then they end up having to play catch-up or they’re having to find their rhythm and it takes a while for them to get going.
They need to be at it from the off and really play with intent from the start. If they can get at Brighton early, then you never know. Away from home, the atmosphere can turn or teams can start to get a bit edgy. A good start can make such a big difference.
A:He picked up a knock in the build-up to the game. Nothing serious. Forest were expecting him to be available again for Sunday, but we will get an update from Nuno later this week.
Reyna hasn’t really been able to get going yet. He has shown glimpses of what he can do and has looked OK but has mostly been restricted to a few minutes here and there.
But, as was the case with Origi, you have to take your chances when you get them. Origi has done that of late, whereas Reyna has looked good without necessarily standing out.
You have to really grasp opportunities with both hands, catch the eye and give the manager a decision to make. Force your way into the team. Reyna does deserve more chances, but I’m not sure he’s worked his way into the starting XI yet. And who do you leave out if you do start him?
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