Sabri Lamouchi saw his Nottingham Forest side pick up their first point of the season as they drew against fellow promotion hopefuls Leeds United.
The Frenchman will have been pleased with the character his side showed against the Whites at Elland Road. It’s something that the Reds will need in abundance if they are to challenge for promotion this season.
Pablo Hernández gave Marcelo Bielsa’s side the lead midway through the second half. However, a scrappy goal from Lewis Grabban in the latter stages of the game ensured the Reds came away with a share of the spoils.
(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Admittedly, it was the home side who dominated for large periods of the game and they will feel hard done by that they couldn’t get the win. Despite this, the Reds showed enough grit and determination to deserve their point.
The Whites are heavily fancied by many to secure promotion to the Premier League this season. There aren’t many teams who will be able to come away from Elland Road with a result this season.
It certainly wasn’t a bad response to the opening day defeat against West Bromwich Albion from the Reds.
However, Lamouchi feels there is still a lot more to come from his side.
(Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
He spoke to the Nottingham Post post-match: “We didn’t play like my team can play on Saturday, but at a place like Leeds, with a lot of pressure and intensity, it was not easy.
“We need to know what it’s like to work under pressure and to feel confident game after game.
“Just give me more time!”
Identity
There’s no doubt that the Frenchman needs time to implement his style of play at the City Ground. Due to the size of the squad at his disposal, this may take slightly longer than he’d like.
One of the main positives that the Reds can take from the weekend is how they competed against a side that has already been together a year.
Lamouchi believes that the Reds did well to compete against the Whites at Elland Road.
He told the Nottingham Post: “I don’t know if they will definitely be the best team in the league. It is just my opinion because they have had the same manager for a year and the players are more or less the same from a year ago.
“It is totally different for Nottingham Forest.”
(Photo by Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
The Reds couldn’t have had a tougher start to the season – in the form of facing West Brom and Leeds.
They now have back-to-back home games to really get their season going. This week’s Carabao Cup tie against Fleetwood Town will provide a good opportunity for players yet to feature this season to impress.
Birmingham City will then travel to the City Ground at the weekend. Lamouchi will be hoping his side can secure their first win of the season as soon as possible.
Unlike the games against West Brom and Leeds, that will be a game the Reds are expected to win.