Head coach Steve Cooper was keen to take the positives out of Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday night.
The Welshman now has his work cut out to build on that hard-fought point, with Liverpool the visitors to the City Ground on Saturday. Picking the right starting line-up to face Jurgen Klopp’s side will be key.
The Reds have tightened up at the back in recent games, with switching to a four-man defence helping to make them more solid. And they will likely need that resolve this weekend.
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Serge Aurier was back in the XI at the Amex Stadium, having missed the defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers with a muscle problem. He took up position at right-back, leaving Neco Williams to move over to the left.
Cooper said afterwards that Aurier does not have the match fitness to complete 90 minutes, however. His substitution then allowed Williams to revert to the right flank, where he did look more comfortable.
When it comes to picking his full-backs, Cooper will await an injury update on Harry Toffolo, who came off barely 15 minutes after being brought on against the Seagulls, having picked up a knock. It remains to be seen whether Renan Lodi is in contention, too, as he missed out in midweek due to an ankle sprain.
Defenders Joe Worrall and Giulian Biancone both came on for the closing minutes on the south coast, and will no doubt hope to have given the manager food for thought. For skipper Worrall, it was the first time he had got on the pitch since the 3-2 loss at home to Fulham last month, while Biancone was making only his second league appearance.
In midfield, Orel Mangala will have felt the benefit of more minutes as he made his first start since returning from a hamstring problem. He was also unable to last the full game, but will surely have staked his claim to keep his starting spot. If Lewis O’Brien has fully recovered from illness, the former Huddersfield Town man will provide Cooper with another option, if he decides to make any tweaks.
Having stemmed the tide at one end of the pitch, it is going forward where Forest now need to make improvements. They are struggling both to create chances and find the back of the net.
Cooper admits his team are not playing his preferred style of football at the minute, but getting results is the priority. Trying to stay compact and keep their opponents at bay seems likely to be the course of action on Saturday.
The head coach must weigh up whether to bring in an out-and-out striker to provide a focal point up front. The trio of Morgan Gibbs-White, Brennan Johnson and Jesse Lingard worked hard against Brighton, but it might be that Cooper opts to start Taiwo Awoniyi or Emmanuel Dennis to try to make the ball stick better.
Predicted Forest XI: Henderson; Aurier, Cook, McKenna, Williams; Mangala, Yates, Freuler; Johnson, Awoniyi, Gibbs-White.
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