Nottingham Forest have made many moves in the market in recent years, with multiple incomings and outgoings affecting the look of their first-team squad. There were 17 arrivals and 13 exits in the 2023/24 campaign, making for a very chop and changed starting XI.
They narrowly avoided relegation last season, finishing 17th in the Premier League, six points off of 18th-placed Luton Town. This led to yet another overhaul this summer at the club, spending €107.50m (£90m) on 11 new signings, as Forest look to avoid a relegation battle this campaign.
Forest have started fast this campaign, winning two and drawing two of their opening four fixtures, leaving them seventh in the Premier League on eight points.
That doesn’t mean further changes should be ignored, however.
Why Nicolas Dominguez could be dropped
In Forest’s superb victory against Liverpool, Nuno Espirito Santo deployed a more defence heavy tactic, with Nicolas Dominguez starting on the right. This came with extra responsibility to help Ola Aina deal with in-form Luis Diaz, and the overlapping runs from Andrew Robertson out wide.
More commonly used as a central midfielder, the Argentine played as more of a defensive winger role, as can be seen from his heatmap (Sofascore), winning 3/4 duels, and making two tackles in 54 minutes.
However, as Forest head to the Amex next to face Brighton, they could look to move back to a more expansive and attacking front line, by unleashing man of the moment Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Why Hudson-Odoi must be unleashed
Coming off the bench for Dominguez against Liverpool, Forest winger, Hudson-Odoi, scored a scintillating winner, a goal that earned plenty of praise, including from 90min reporter David Lynch who awarded the winger with a 7/10 match rating and hailed him as a “menace.”
Hudson-Odoi has managed to rediscover some of his best form, scoring eight Premier League goals last season for Forest in 29 appearances, including a strike in the penultimate game of the season against his former club, Chelsea.
Hudson-Odoi comparison | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats (per 90 mins) | 21/22 | 24/25 (so far) |
Goals + Assists | 0.35 | 0.28 |
Progressive Carries | 5.68 | 5.81 |
Progressive Passes | 4.75 | 3.55 |
Shots Total | 1.71 | 1.94 |
Goals/Shot | 0.09 | 0.14 |
Key Passes | 2.30 | 2.26 |
Shot-Creating Actions | 5.47 | 5.16 |
Successful Take-Ons | 1.65 | 0.97 |
Carries into Final Third | 2.45 | 3.23 |
Stats taken from FBref | ||
When you compare the metrics between Hudson-Odoi’s final Chelsea season and his start to this campaign, you can see he is starting to produce similar numbers across the board, even bettering some such as progressive carries and carries into the final third.
Shot-creating actions are pieces of play that lead to a shot. These include moments such as a pass, take-on or foul being drawn.
His shot volume is up too which is a great sign, as his trademark cut inside, curled effort to the far post is becoming more and more effective, scoring the winner against Liverpool last weekend in this fashion. This efficiency goes hand in hand with his improved goals/shot ratio, rising from 0.09 to 0.14.
After opting for the more pragmatic approach against Liverpool from the start, it was the Hudson-Odoi substituion that turned one point into three, and Nuno now has the decision to make, whether to go back to a more attacking system with the 24-year-old winger from the start, or look to him from the bench for a second week in a row.
