Nottingham Forest were beaten by Hull City 2-1 at the City Ground last night to compound the Reds to their second straight defeat in the Sky Bet Championship.
Boss Sabri Lamouchi will be desperate for a reaction when his team entertain Reading at the weekend and he perhaps has some problems to solve in the way of his team selection.
One conundrum which is staring him straight in the face right now is the form of Joe Lolley. The 26-year-old blasted 12 goals and registered 12 assists last season, showcasing himself as one of the division’s top attacking talents.
With 13 games gone of 2019/20, however, Lolley has just three goals and perhaps more concerning, just one assist to his name.
Like many top players, the Forest star has quite simply hit a bit of a bump in the road. He’s not unique in doing that and what some supporters would do well to take on board is that a drop in form can happen to the very best footballers in the world, let alone one who has never played any higher than the Championship.
Lolley has become and remains one of Forest’s very best players. He’s certainly one of few who possess match-winning and point securing qualities – as he showed in games at Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers this season.
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Good players don’t become bad ones overnight and it is worth some people remembering that mantle when washing their hands of the man who has come up trumps for Forest time and again.
Blip
Lolley is a confidence player and when things aren’t going his way he can show signs of suffering. His body language can sometimes look like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and given his importance to the team that is understandable.
Few can deny his work rate and desire to do well, however, and the fact he has produced the goods frequently since his £500,000 move from Huddersfield should at least buy him a little bit more respect from some people.
The conundrum that Lamouchi is tasked with is what policy is best to help get the very best out of one of his, and the Championship’s very best players. Does he let him play through his bad form, or does he take him out of the firing line for a game or two in an attempt to get Lolley back up to his prolific best?
It’s certainly a challenging situation for the Reds’ head coach to contend with but one that he will surely relish. He hasn’t been against making big calls so far during his short time at Forest and Lamouchi must ensure he does not only what is right for the club, but also do what he feels is best for Lolley.
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