'Really missed him': Pundit thinks £15m Nottingham Forest star is so important after 3-0 defeat vs Arsenal
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Nottingham Forest were well beaten by Arsenal on Saturday but it’s not a fixture that should define the team’s season.
The Reds went into the game on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle and the club’s defensive resolution has fallen by the wayside in the last two matches.
Nuno Espirito Santo has shared what will happen in training this week and defensive organisation is likely to be the order of the day.
Forest had a number of players who were below par at the weekend and against a team like Arsenal, it’s impossible to expect a positive result when so many players don’t perform.
James Ward-Prowse was hammered by Forest fans for his performance – but in fairness, it was a tough first assignment for him after six weeks out of the starting eleven.
Forest’s team was somewhat disjointed for the contest with a number of players either unavailable or not fit enough to start the match.
Robbie Mustoe thinks Nottingham Forest missed one player vs Arsenal
Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson were both unavailable for the trip to North London and that left the Reds minus a proper number 10.
But, it was the decision to leave Chris Wood on the bench that drew the most surprise from CBS Sports pundit Robbie Mustoe.
Wood travelled to New Zealand for international duty and wasn’t deemed fit enough to start the game and instead played for around 20 minutes.
Mustoe told The 2 Robbies podcast: “It was tough for Forest, they had Chris Wood on the bench after international duty, they really missed him to be honest, they had no answer to Arsenal.”
Chris Wood is vital to Forest fortunes
Nothing against Taiwo Awoniyi but if Forest are to truly kick on this season, the Reds need to do whatever it takes to keep Wood fit.
He’s scored eight goals this season but clearly, Forest missed his input at the top end of the pitch against a team like Arsenal.
It was good to get some minutes into the legs of Awoniyi against the Gunners and in fairness, he did well at feeding off of scraps.
Wood is the talisman, however, and hopefully, he can regain his complete match sharpness in time for Ipswich to visit the City Ground next weekend.
With 19 points on the board from 12 games, it’s clear that Forest are on the right path this season.
However, Mustoe has got a point and Forest do look like a better side with Wood in the eleven and the hope will be that he can stay fit for the remainder of the campaign.
