Nottingham Forest fans were shocked last week when head coach Steve Cooper opted to leave Ryan Yates on the bench.
The 24-year-old has been largely a mainstay since he came in but he was dropped from the starting eleven for the clash with Stoke.
Yates did eventually come up trumps. He stepped off the bench to head home a last-gasp equaliser after Forest had been reduced to 10-men.
His omission from the starting line-up last week, surely means he will be back in for tomorrow’s trip to Bournemouth.
Yates could be vitally important too and Cooper could hand him with a sizeable task when Forest arrive at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries boast a star-studded squad. Several new additions on transfer deadline day have further enhanced their promotion credentials.
In Philip Billing, however, Bournemouth have a player who has proved the driving force of Scott Parker’s midfield.
He checked in from Huddersfield in 2019 for £15 million. Since then he’s really come into his own, shining during this season’s Championship campaign.
During this season he has scored nine goals and claimed six assists; largely operating as part of a three-man midfield.
As a result, Yates could have the task of snapping at Billing for 90 minutes and it’s a job he should relish.
Absence: Forest missed Yates against Stoke
Both James Garner and Jack Colback played well last week but ultimately, Forest just lacked a little bit of something in the midfield.
Colback excels when it comes to getting stuck in, whilst Garner is great at getting the ball moving forward.
Yates may lack what the other two have in technical ability but he does always show for the ball in deep areas of the pitch.
Billing is capable of turning defence into attack very quickly and Yates has done superb man-to-man jobs on creative players before.
Tomorrow might just be his toughest test yet but it’s one that he will surely look forward to; especially if it means he’s not on the bench again!
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