The latest Nottingham Forest headlines from NottinghamshireLive. for Monday, December 12.
Serge Aurier update provided
Head coach Steve Cooper eased concerns over the enforced early departure of Serge Aurier in Nottingham Forest’s friendly defeat to Olympiacos.
The defender seemed to have picked up a knock in the final minutes of the Reds’ 1-0 loss at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. He was replaced by Loic Mbe Soh as Cooper’s side brought their week-long training camp to a close.
Forest started with a strong side against their fellow Evangelos Marinakis-owned club. A number of changes were then made at half-time and during the second half, to spread the minutes throughout the squad.
Touching moment by Forest players
This wasn’t your typical friendly. Olympiacos’ ultras made sure of that, with their constant drumming, pyrotechnics and smoke bombs.
As run-outs go, though, it was as useful as any for Nottingham Forest - with a mixture of good and not-so-good to take away from it ahead of the season’s resumption. The result might not have counted for much, but certain aspects of his team’s performance clearly irked head coach Steve Cooper.
Reading too much into a game with nothing riding on it would be foolish; particularly as the substitutions flowed in the second half. However, with the return to competitive action looming, there was plenty for the Reds to mull over after their 1-0 defeat in Greece.
Lingard delivers 'shambles' verdict
Nottingham Forest forward Jesse Lingard has branded referee Wilton Sampaio a "shambles" after England were knocked out of the World Cup.
The Brazilian official made a number of controversial decisions in the match as France beat the Three Lions 2-1 at the quarter-final stage.
Reflecting on the match on Twitter, Lingard was quick to say what he thought of the referee. The 29-year-old also encouraged his countrymen to pick their heads up ahead of Euro 2024.
Training camp insight provided
Team bonding has been a key aspect of Nottingham Forest’s winter training camp in Greece, ahead of the Premier League ’s return.
The Reds rounded off their week-long trip with a 1-0 defeat to fellow Evangelos Marinakis-owned club Olympiacos on Saturday night. They had also played a behind-closed-doors match against Atromitos during their stay in Athens.
But in addition to a focus on matters on the pitch, time spent together as a squad has also been beneficial for Steve Cooper ’s side. The hope is that can pay off in the second half of the campaign, when their battle for survival resumes.
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