“We don’t want to be in awe of these big teams,” a disappointed, but not deflated, Steve Cooper told a packed City Ground press room at full-time. “We want to go and attack them head on.”
It will not be the games against the big-hitters which define Nottingham Forest’s season. But it is in those kinds of matches where the Reds can prove they belong on the big stage.
On Sunday, they did just that. They looked more than at home in Premier League company, with the general consensus being, ‘play like that and Forest will be just fine this season’.
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READ MORE: How the Reds rated against Spurs
They were the better side for long spells against Tottenham Hotspur. It would not have been undeserved had they come away with a result.
Cooper and his players had to settle for being able to reflect on a whole host of positives. But give this group time and you’d bet on them having much more to show for their endeavours most weeks. Sarah Clapson looks at some of the big talking points from the weekend’s 2-0 defeat.
Transfer questions
The Reds have had their busy summer window picked over by countless pundits, with everyone seemingly having an opinion on the influx of arrivals. Few observers, though, seem to grasp quite how necessary the club’s recruitment drive has been.
Not just to ensure Cooper has the numbers required; with strength in depth and competition in each position a priority. But also to make sure Forest have the quality to hold their own in the top-flight.
Fellow promoted side Bournemouth’s 9-0 thumping at Liverpool the previous day only underlined the importance of the Reds’ shopping spree, with Cherries boss Scott Parker admitting afterwards that his squad need “help”, in the form of new players. Forest are still targeting further signings themselves, but the good work already done in the market means they have a platform to be competitive at this level.
The likes of Dean Henderson, Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White impressed against Spurs. And watching on from the stands - as well as owner Evangelos Marinakis, who has sanctioned the rebuild - was left-back Renan Lodi, who will become the 18th new addition when his loan from Atletico Madrid is formally announced.
Henderson’s heroics
The Manchester United loanee is already proving to be one of the Reds’ most important signings. He has quickly become a firm fans’ favourite, too.
The City Ground erupted in a deafening roar when Henderson denied Harry Kane from the spot - his second penalty save of the season. He responded by whirling his cap around his head, before urging his teammates to get down the other end of the pitch.
That could so easily have been a turning point in the match. Williams was agonisingly close to netting an equaliser immediately afterwards.
The hosts were twice punished for giving Kane too much time and space. With his kind of quality, the England ace needed no second invitation to make the most of those moments.
Answering critics
Joe Worrall had come in for a fair bit of stick on social media after the opening three league games. The skipper shook off any flak and responded with a terrific performance against top-class opposition. A perfectly-timed tackle on Kane, 10 minutes after he had already opened the scoring, prevented the visitors from taking an early two-goal lead.
The back line as a whole had some tricky moments. Spurs were dangerous on the counter, and a lack of pace in defence did make it tough for the Reds. Centre-back is an area they are still looking to strengthen for that reason.
Even so, Worrall, Scott McKenna and Steve Cook all chipped in with excellent bits of defending at times - albeit a rush of blood to the head resulted in an inexplicable handball from the latter, leading to the penalty. Poor decisions and sloppy passages of play are punished by teams like Spurs and strikers like Kane. That’s a learning curve for Forest.
Exciting attack
The trio of Gibbs-White, Jesse Lingard and Brennan Johnson is an exciting one. They caused Tottenham plenty of problems and got fans off their seats - with the likes of Williams, Ryan Yates and Lewis O’Brien all pressing up the pitch and trying their luck, too.
There is a lot of potential there. The hosts just lacked that last little bit of quality to make so many promising moments count. For all their possession, they didn’t work Hugo Lloris as much as they perhaps should have.
Twice Johnson put in inviting balls across the box in the first half. But there was nobody on hand to finish them off.
Forest went out to win. Amid an electric atmosphere Trentside, they took the game to their opponents.
Sitting back is not Cooper’s way. He acknowledged afterwards that tactic brings a “risk and reward” element, but it shows the Reds’ intent this season - no matter who they are up against.
For all the talk of whether the manager can get a new-look squad to gel, the Reds are already beginning to look like a team. They work hard for each other (another Cooper trait) and there was some lovely link-up play. In fact, the football Forest played was absolutely superb at times. Sunday might have ended in defeat, but Cooper and his team were applauded off the pitch, with a sense that this group are only going to get better.
Who stood out for you against Spurs? Have your say in the comments below
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