Old school, nonsense and full Premier League debut - Nuno's seeks his Nottingham Forest answer
For the first time this season Nuno Espirito Santo must prepare for a Premier League game without his talismanic skipper Morgan Gibbs-White.
The 24-year-old is suspended for this weekend’s clash with Fulham having picked up a highly controversial second yellow card in the 2-2 draw with Brighton last Sunday.
Referee Rob Jones indicated the Nottingham Forest star had taken the ball when he slid in on the Seagulls Joao Pedro, only for fourth official Anthony Taylor to allegedly intervene, creating a change of decision that saw Gibbs-White pick up his second booking.
That leaves Nuno either looking for a like-for-like replacement or considering a tactical rejig from his customary 4-2-3-1, with Gibbs-White as the No. 10.
Reds reporter Sarah Clapton assessed the options and replying on NottinghamshireLive, Forest fans had their own thoughts. Here’s a selection:
ChrissyD
It’s a great headache to have- more than enough options when we need cover/change. I’m, personally, not worried about who comes in for MGW at the weekend. Everyone has the ability to do a good job & if the starting X1 isn’t quite working out we will have other great options on the bench (as the last 2 games have shown). COYR!
Rednz
Jota before Yates, the new guys are on a high, we don't need to needle Fulham, we need to beat them by scoring more goals than they do
jrust
On Sunday it looked like Anderson limped off so I think he will replace MGW with Jota and have Yates and Ward-Prowse deeper. The following will not happen but Fulham are not an overly big side and I would be tempted to go old school 4.4.2. With same back 4. Yates and Ward-Prowse in the middle, CHO and Elanga out wide and both Wood and Big T up front. We will need to break Fulham down so I would overload them on Ward-Prowse set pieces into Melikovic, Yates, Big T, Murillo and Wood. But as I say won't happen.
peter167
I don't accept the narrative about MGW, we are not a one man team (like Man City aren't if Rodri not available). We mustn't accept this nonsense of MGW being always on the team sheet, it is a squad game. He may be actually the problem rather than the solution, as it appears Nuno might go 4-3-3 without him. That seems to indicate he can only be a no. 10 but didn't I spot against Brighton MGW going into midfield proper as a no.8 presumably. Because Jota, Sosa and CHO all on the field. We didn't have 3 wingers did we? So Jota presumably was the no. 10 in MGW role.
So I'd go for Jota as the no.10 with Cho and Sosa. I hear Sosa can do either side as can CHO.
orestinderby
Jota or Anderson over Yates in that position.
telfordred
Yates does the dirty stuff that others can't, I'd keep him in.
Sarah wrote: " Elliot Anderson is capable of playing as a 10 and has more experience than his teammate [Jota], both in the Premier League and in English football overall. The former Newcastle United man has been excellent since his switch to the City Ground - and that form could be viewed as an argument to keep him where he is or a reason to hand him the responsibility of filling in for Gibbs-White.
"Either way, a decision will also need to be made on who starts in midfield. If Jota starts, it might be that Nuno changes the combination of James Ward-Prowse and Anderson anyway. He brought on Yates for the second half on Sunday when the visitors were 2-1 down and might decide to recall the Nigel Doughty Academy graduate to the first XI.
"Predicted Forest XI: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Ward-Prowse; Elanga, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Wood."