Set-piece woes
It is crucial that Forest use pre-season to find a solution to one of their biggest problems of last term. Set-pieces.
Not making the most of deadball situations from an attacking perspective hindered them. But crucially, not being able to defend them at the other end of the pitch proved costly.
Certain players and specific formations will always suit particular games, of course. But Forest benefitted from some consistency in team selection towards the end of last term, so using friendlies to forge an idea of his strongest line-up will be helpful for Nuno.
He has some new players to take into account and has lost others. He will want to use pre-season to take a close look at summer signings Carlos Miguel, Elliot Anderson and Eric da Silva Moreira to see where they fit in.
Nuno spoke towards the end of last season about needing to have options. He wants to have selection headaches and finish the transfer window with strength in depth. Games such as today are a chance to build fitness, but also an opportunity to try different formations and see who works best where.
Set-piece woes
It is crucial that Forest use pre-season to find a solution to one of their biggest problems of last term. Set-pieces.
Not making the most of deadball situations from an attacking perspective hindered them. But crucially, not being able to defend them at the other end of the pitch proved costly.
The Reds conceded a league-high 22 goals from set-pieces in 2023/24. They cannot afford to do the same again. Spending uninterrupted time on the training pitch should, in theory, help with addressing the issue.
Forest knew set-pieces were a problem 12 months ago. They had struggled with them during their first campaign back in the top-flight.
Simon Rusk was eventually brought in as the club’s first-ever set-piece coach. However, he had little influence in the first-team set-up after Nuno took charge and has now joined Southampton as their Under-21s head coach.
Be the first to comment