Tweaking formation might be a consideration for boss Steve Cooper to accommodate Nottingham Forest’s wealth of attacking talent.
Strengthening at the top end of the pitch was always going to be a priority for the Reds this summer, following promotion to the Premier League. And amid a busy window, Cooper now has a number of options. The challenge is deciding who plays.
Striker Emmanuel Dennis made his debut when he started Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup victory over Grimsby Town, while Morgan Gibbs-White had made his first appearance from off the bench at Everton on Saturday. Jesse Lingard and Taiwo Awoniyi had linked up with Forest earlier in the summer, and Brennan Johnson and Sam Surridge remain key figures in the squad after being integral to last term’s success.
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Cooper has generally preferred a 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1 system during his time at the City Ground. But with 16 signings so far this summer, the Welshman says there is the possibility of plumping for a different shape.
“We definitely have that option. And we have the variety of player and profile of player that gives us that option,” he told NottinghamshireLive.
“That can be from a risk taking point of view, an attacking point of view, but also a defending point of view as well - sometimes you might need to be a bit more efficient in games. It’s not just about changing players and teams to be more attacking, it can sometimes be the opposite.
“We need to be mindful of that. When we sit down and plan starting XIs, we also now need to sit down and think about what changes we might want to make in a game.
“Obviously there’s the stuff that’s unplanned for - injuries, red cards and things like that. But there’s also the stuff that can happen in a game that goes against the grain of what you thought it might be.
“That’s why the game is so good, because you have to make in-game decisions all the time - and the players do, especially. That’s part of the challenge of the game, and something we look forward to.
“I’d rather have that problem (of selecting who to play) than not having the options to pick from. There’s no doubt that if we want to give ourselves the best chance of being successful this year, we are going to need not just a strong team which plays - which will change from game to game - but also, a strong squad.”
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