Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis McGugan has called on Steve Cooper to play a central striker if they are to save their Premier League status.
The Reds slipped into the relegation zone at the weekend after going nine games without a win following the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa.
Forest have scored just five goals away from home and only 24 in 30 games in total. Cooper has deployed Morgan Gibbs-White as a false nine in most games but McGugan feels that needs to change, starting against Manchester United on Sunday.
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"Playing without a proper striker, it has to change," he said on the latest Garibaldi Red podcast. "I understand at times you're giving Gibbs-White a free role, but you look at it and at times think is the manager thinking 'I need to play Gibbs-White but I can't play him at the point in a midfield three because I don't feel he does the other side well enough'.
"It means you don't have to accommodate him in midfield but it's at the expense of a striker. It's all on Brennan (Johnson) to score then. That's what it is when we've won games.
"Brennan waits for a chance and then he scores. In terms of the game plan it's not changed, but now you need to have a focal point. The manager has to decide who that is.
"You need someone to play off at the top end of the pitch. At the moment it seems a bit, especially in the second half, it's sporadic all over the pitch.
"At Villa, I felt sorry for Toffolo because he's on his own two vs one all the time. That comes back to the team being disjointed up the top. He's not getting help.
"Most teams play with out and out wingers and have full-backs who bomb on. If you look at the second goal, Ashley Young gets it. Gibbs-White and Ayew are in a left sided position with no real structure.
"The ball goes over them and Toffolo is on his own. He has to squeeze to apply pressure, but he knows he'll get done with one ball in behind him. There's no structure up the top end in the minute.
"When it goes wrong in games it's a bit gung ho, a bit free spirit. Premier League teams will take advantage."
Do Forest need to play a striker? Have your say in the comments section below
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