'Not following him': Pat Nevin really disappointed with Nottingham Forest midfielder vs Arsenal
Today at 02:29 PM
Nottingham Forest were always going to find it tough to win against Arsenal, especially with Martin Odegaard coming back.
Odegaard returned from an injury spell to help Arsenal to a comfortable 3-0 win against Forest at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Norway international attacking midfielder provided the assist for the first goal and combined well with Bukayo Saka throughout his time on the pitch.
Pat Nevin’s verdict on Nottingham Forest midfielder James Ward-Prowse
While Alex Moreno struggled to cope with Saka, James Ward-Prowse failed to keep Odegaard under check.
Ward-Prowse, on loan from West Ham United, was deployed by head coach Nuno as one of the two holding midfielders for Forest in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Pat Nevin was following the match for BBC Radio 5 Live, and the pundit noticed in the first half that Ward-Prowse was struggling against Odegaard.
The former Chelsea and Everton winger observed that the 30-year-old English midfielder was not following Odegaard.
Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's party time for Martin Odegaard. He has got too much space and he is playing wherever he wants to play.
"He’s coming from midfield and he is running off James Ward-Prowse who’s not following him."
Forest fans not impressed with Ward-Prowse vs Arsenal
Ward-Prowse played well for Forest against Liverpool, but the 30-year-old failed to repeat that performance against Arsenal.
The West Ham-owned midfielder played two key passes, had a pass accuracy of 92.9%, won one header, took 38 touches, made one tackle and two clearances, and put in five crosses.
While Ward-Prowse tried his best, he was not effective in midfield. He should have done better for Saka's goal and probably could have closed down Thomas Partey for Arsenal's second.
The £30 million midfielder also lost possession six times, and, as you can see below, some Forest fans on X were not impressed with his performance.
Mark @SubForest13: "We've signed some bad loans since promotion, but Ward-Prowse is right up there. Apart from taking free kicks/corners, the rest of his play is league one level. Slow, always out of position and awful at tackling/closing down. #nffc"
JeThRo @jethrofairley: "Whenever Ward-Prowse plays I don't even realise it until we have a set-piece #nffc"
copo @nffc_red_dog: "Ward prowse a pure passenger #NFFC"
Matt @Skelton141: "Playing with ward-prowse is like playing with 10 men defensively #nffc"
Ellis Platts @eplatts333: "Ward prowse and sels need to go"
Lex @alexihughes27: "Arsenal away always a tough game and never a game we expect anything from. Key game is Ipswich!! Especially with City and Utd away coming up!! Ward Prowse should never start. #nffc"
Dizzy @DizzyNFFC: "Bettered by better opposition who wanted it more today, fair enough. That said, Ward-Prowse can probably be returned to West Ham in January. Once Danilo and Sangare are fit, he doesn’t get near that team and he offers nothing. Was culpable for 2-3 of them goals today. #nffc.”
