A positive first-half display could not be followed up at the City Ground as Nottingham Forest took the lead again against Bournemouth – as their return to the Premier League was held to a 1-1 draw. George Edwards was at the game.
Despite some fairly drastic changes at the City Ground, a constant influx of new players and a busy pre-season for the manager, not much has changed at Nottingham Forest.
A positive, flowing and efficient first half in which Forest were in control was followed by a second in which the Reds seemed to forget how to play football and slipped into old habits.
That being said, there is so much positivity to take from the first 45 minutes. They showed great diversity in possession. Chances were created through quick passing and fluid moves, but Forest were also content to have the ball at their feet and patiently create the opening.
They came back well without possession, stuck to a rigid structure and neutralized Bournemouth’s attack into solid threats and that’s it.
An early layoff due to an outrageous injury to Danilo, a valued member of the Forest family, could have disrupted Forest and their flow, but it didn’t, and we can only wish the Brazilian the best of luck at this very difficult time.
He was replaced by Ryan Yates, who complemented Forest’s driving threat brilliantly with positive possession.
They scored in their best period of the game with Yates far forward causing havoc and shooting at goal, after a brilliant exchange of quick forward passes from Forest’s creative players. Chris Wood stepped up to score a header, while Neto scored his 12th goal in just 17 games under Nunu – he just keeps getting better, doesn’t he?
And to top it off, VAR went in Forest’s favor as Bournemouth’s well-worked corner had a happy ending: an offside call. That’s when you know Forest have a good spell.
But as we know, it is very difficult to put together two positive halves of football at Nottingham Forest. When the second came on, especially when Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga were substituted, Forest slumped.
With the loss of Elanga, perhaps the brightest attacking spark on display, they lost all width on the right and seemed to run out of creative patterns. They lost intensity, positivity and intensity and didn’t recover from it until it was too late.
Simple things like stopping crosses or tightening up eluded the Forest team in the second period, which was perfectly illustrated by the visitors’ equalizer as the Cherries moved the ball into the middle with ease before a lucky play into the feet of Semenya.
Bournemouth didn’t offer any substance or purpose throughout the 90 minutes, but being members of the Premier League, they usually have the ability to punish when the opposition concedes space in key areas. Thanks to some great luck, a tie was completely avoided as Forest failed to score a second goal and let the Cherries back into the game.
“It’s happening again,” was the enthusiastic chant from the away fans. When you have a terrible team, they keep you in the spirit.
Willy Boly was undeniably positive, doing what many wouldn’t and pushing through when needed – no Ivorian nonsense.
But his efforts weren’t enough as Forest at least ended a run of four successive opening day defeats and their winless run against Bournemouth has now been extended to nine league games.
Given how early in the season we are and the intensity the coach is demanding, it could be the legs to blame. But whatever the reason, turning down prospects seems to be in Forest’s DNA, and it’s a trait they need to address if they want to avoid relegation trouble this season.