The most frustrating part for Nottingham Forest is that it was so utterly avoidable.
The goal, the defeat, dropping into the bottom three. The Reds are their own worst enemy at present.
They were masters of their own downfall once again at Villa Park, and now they find themselves staring down the barrel. Form has fallen off a cliff at the worst possible time. If they are not careful, hope and belief is in danger of going the same way.
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It’s not over yet; they still have eight games to go. But survival rests on whether Forest can somehow stop the rot and turn things around.
If they are to have any chance of doing that, they need to cut out the self-sabotage. They will also need to offer much more than they did in the closing stages on Saturday, when trying to rescue something from the game.
Being down to 10 men for the final 10 minutes - a situation which sums up the Reds’ injury luck - didn’t help. But there was still a worrying lack of kitchen sink-throwing, given the gravity of the situation.
Losing 2-0 to Aston Villa made it five successive league defeats on the road for Steve Cooper’s side. They have now gone nine games without a win. This was one of their better away performances, a considerable improvement on Tuesday night against Leeds United, but right now, results are all that count.
Moment of madness
For the first 45 minutes, the game-plan was working. Forest frustrated Villa in the first half, limiting them to very little, while posing a threat on the counterattack themselves.
What happened in the 48th minute changed all of that. The game turned on one inexplicable error. Against a flying Villa side, that was the last thing the visitors needed.
When Keylor Navas stuck out a hand to divert Bertrand Traore’s ball across the face, it fell at the feet of Jonjo Shelvey. Only the midfielder will be able to explain why he didn’t just boot it away. Instead, he passed it straight back into the feet of Traore, who gratefully accepted the invitation which was laid on a plate for him. Navas duly kicked the post in frustration and Joe Worrall had his head in his hands.
Harry Toffolo might have done better to stop Traore getting in down the flank in the first place, but all in all, it was just a complete mess of a goal. Shelvey seemed to indicate he had intended the pass to be for Moussa Niakhate, but he did apologise to his teammates afterwards.
Cooper refused to single out the midfielder for blame, however, stressing the Reds win and lose together. Forest have had too many of those kinds of moments in recent weeks, individual errors which have proved costly.
Tactical tweak
Having barely even been in previous away games, Cooper opted for something different in the West Midlands. Injuries probably also played a part in his thinking, given the players still absent.
But it worked. The Reds looked better for setting up with a three-man defence of Worrall, Felipe and Niakhate, with Toffolo and Neco Williams operating as wing-backs.
The latter, in particular, looked much more comfortable in that role, while Worrall - who has come in for stick from some supporters this season - also had a good game. For the most part, the set-up kept the hosts at arm’s length. Given Forest have been struggling to keep clean-sheets and had put in a dismal performance at Elland Road in midweek, that seemed a decent base to build from.
Once they were chasing the game, Cooper then reverted to four at the back, bringing off Worrall for Taiwo Awoniyi. The switch in shape disrupted the visitors’ rhythm, though, and they never really got it back. They never really looked like getting back into the game, either. Two efforts on target in the 90 minutes and six in total is symptomatic of the Reds’ struggles.
Injury woes
Hardly a week goes by without the absentee list being discussed. Just when it looked as though having some key players back for the run-in would help, the club suffer more bad luck on this front.
Cheikhou Kouyate (after half an hour) and Niakhate (in the 86th minute) both came off with hamstring problems. Both have only just returned from long spells on the sidelines. The former was actually making his first start since his comeback, while Cooper was unable to make any more substitutions when Niakhate limped off.
Losing them again would be a big blow. Niakhate’s centre-back partnership with Felipe has shown promise, while Kouyate has the ability to make a big difference in a midfield which has struggled to find the right combination.
As if to prove the point that it never rains but it pours, Renan Lodi and Gustavo Scarpa have been added to the injury list, while Emmanuel Dennis only just made the bench after picking up a knock at Elland Road. Jesse Lingard, too, has been struggling, and Taiwo Awoniyi was not ready to be included from the start.
There’s no doubt Cooper has been hampered by injury problems this season. They are not the only reason Forest find themselves in the relegation zone, but they have definitely played a part.
What lies ahead
Owner Evangelos Marinakis warned results and performances needed to improve “immediately” when he released a statement backing Cooper during the week. Losing to Villa - even if the Reds played better than against Leeds - will have done little to ease the pressure.
Analysing the various factors as to why Forest are in this position is for another day, once we know the outcome of this season. Cooper has had a thankless task, though. The circumstances of this campaign meant it was always going to be incredibly tough - survival always is for any newly-promoted side, let alone one which hasn’t been at the top level for more than two decades.
There is still a chance the Reds can stay up. It’s slim, based on recent results and a difficult run-in, but the chance is there nonetheless. What fans will want to see is Forest fighting for it at least.
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