The international break is almost at an end, with Nottingham Forest gearing up for their return to action next Monday night.
Steve Cooper’s side will have had plenty of time to mull over a miserable run of defeats by the time they get back out on the pitch against Leicester City. Their trip to the King Power Stadium marks the start of an important period, up until mid-November, when the Premier League pauses again for the World Cup.
While the head coach will have had valuable time on the training pitch with his players this fortnight, some have been on duty with their countries. We take a look at the talking points from these two weeks.
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Injury concerns
It has been something of a mixed international break for Forest from an injury perspective. A number of players were forced to withdraw from their national camps, while others will have felt the benefits of having recovery time.
Moussa Niakhate linking up with Senegal was a positive sign on his road to a comeback, particularly as he was named on the bench against Bolivia on Saturday. He missed Tuesday night’s match against Iran, saying he was returning to Nottingham early, but he nevertheless appears to be making progress.
Emmanuel Dennis had pulled out of the Nigeria squad before a ball had been kicked. However, he was pictured in training for the Reds, suggesting it wasn’t anything too serious.
It remains to be seen what the situation is with Scott McKenna and Morgan Gibbs-White, who withdrew from representing Scotland and England Under-21s respectively.
Meanwhile, it was a big plus seeing Omar Richards out on the grass during this fortnight. Yet to make his debut due to suffering a hairline fracture of the leg, the hope is that he could soon be in contention to make his first appearance.
Elsewhere, striker Hwang Ui-jo, who is on loan at Olympiacos from the City Ground, picked up an injury little more than seven minutes after being brought on in South Korea’s friendly with Cameroon on Tuesday night. According to Greek media outlet SDNA, he said afterwards: "My injury is not serious. It's a muscle pain, so if I handle it well and treat it with good treatment I will be better soon.
"I think that way I'll be fine soon. After the game against Costa Rica I didn't feel so good in my back because I had run with a lot of intensity and I was affected. And this seems to have worked out for me now too.”
Midfield dilemma
The selection headaches Cooper faces have been thoroughly picked over, following the summer recruitment drive. But it is perhaps in the centre of the pitch where he has a particularly tough call to make.
It is an area where he has plenty of options. However, Remo Freuler’s starring role for Switzerland in the Nations League will no doubt have caught his manager’s eye.
Freuler played an integral role in Saturday’s shock 2-1 victory over Spain. And he followed that up with another good performance and a goal as Czech Republic were beaten by the same scoreline on Tuesday night, earning a rating of 8/10 by Eurosport.
The former Atalanta man has yet to hit his stride in the Garibaldi since his summer move, making just three league appearances so far. He found it tough going against Fulham last time out, in what was only his second top-flight start for the Reds.
But it’s always been clear that Freuler has class. Showing that for his country leaves Cooper with a dilemma when it comes to picking his team to face the Foxes.
Johnson shines
Like plenty of his Forest teammates, Brennan Johnson has yet to show his best form for his club this season. He has had some bright moments and has two goals to his name, but that hasn’t stopped him coming in for criticism from some, amid a debate about who should be in the starting line-up.
Johnson, like others in the side, is still adapting to the step up. There’s absolutely no doubt he’s good enough to make his mark at the top level, though.
And he offered a reminder of exactly what he is capable of while with Wales. It earned him plenty of rave reviews.
"He's been superb," said boss Rob Page, after the 2-1 defeat to Belgium in which Johnson set up Kieffer Moore for Wales’ goal. "Honestly, he's come on so much in such a short time. I've asked something different from him tonight, I asked him to play as a midfielder, but when we get the ball we can find him in those pockets where Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard pick the ball up.
"When you see him run with the ball, it's brilliant isn't it. That's his game, that's his strength. He always looked a threat for us every time he got on the ball."
Youngsters impress
The Reds’ senior stars are not the only ones making names for themselves on the international stage. A number of academy players have been doing the same.
Justin Hanks bagged his first international goal, netting for Wales Under-19s against Gibraltar. And Dale Taylor added to his tally for Northern Ireland Under-21s.
There were call-ups, too, for Aaron Donnelly (Northern Ireland Under-21s), Jamie McDonnell (Northern Ireland Under-19s), Oli Hammond (Wales Under-21s) and Ben Hammond (Wales Under-19s). It is testament to the incredible work which continues to be done at the Nigel Doughty Academy, with the future looking as bright as ever.
How should Forest line up against the Foxes? Have your say in the comments below
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