Ben Watson has been flavour of a few months for Nottingham Forest, but is the novelty starting to wear off?
The humble pie which was being lapped up a few weeks back is starting to go a little stale.
Sickness hasn’t set in yet, but prevention is better than the cure.
Could that mean that it is time to rotate a divisive figure back out of the side?
With Samba Sow returning to full fitness, is Watson required to fill a midfield berth?
When he is in the side, there is no escaping the fact that the Reds favour a defensive mindset.
At times, Watson can be found sitting deeper than the centre-halves who line up behind him.
Is that necessary?
What does it offer to the greater good?
When Watson vacates his post, an obvious gap is left in the middle of the park.
Void
Which often creates a void between the back four and attacking unit, with no bridge to be found between them.
Sow is more than capable of operating in a holding role.
He will also offer more going the other way.
His energy will allow him to get up and down in a manner which Watson seems either reluctant or incapable of doing
In a slightly tweaked system it would also be possible to get Alfa Semedo, or someone of his ilk, into the XI.
If Sow sits, then Tiago Silva and Semedo can offer the graft and guile in an important area of the field.
With Sow and Watson alongside one another, or with Ryan Yates added to the pot, then the Reds become a bit samey.
Added pressure and expectation is placed on Portuguese flair as a result – be that Silva or Joao Carvalho.
Which goes a long towards explaining the struggles for creativity this season.
Adventure
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A lack of adventure at the very heart of the team is always going to make it difficult to play on the front foot.
Which is not to say that Watson should be cast adrift, with there still a use for his vast experience in the bigger picture.
There has, however, been a recurring theme throughout his City Ground career.
He earns favour under a new boss, offers early promise, then fades away.
Is history repeating itself?
Should it?
Sabri Lamouchi certainly needs to be mulling over his options.
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the very definition of insanity.
Plan A worked fine early in 2019-20 but progress should be fluid, with tweaks made when required.
With the annual December bug inflicting Forest once again – a 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield adding to the growing sense of nausea – is Watson contributing to that or can he still be part of a return to full health in 2020?
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