With the first international break of 2022/23 upon us, Nottingham Forest must park a below-par start to the campaign.
The Reds sit second bottom of the Premier League, with four points claimed from their opening seven fixtures.
Next up for Forest is a trip to Leicester City, with the Foxes currently the only team below Steve Cooper’s team in the table.
With the international break offering a chance to reflect, we’ve decided to look at some positives and roll out our ‘Power Rankings’, looking at the team’s best players.
We will have a look at these again when the World Cup comes around to see who is rising and who is falling.
Nottingham Forest Power Ranking
1. Lewis O’Brien
The man signed for £10 million from Huddersfield Town has looked the part in each game he’s been called upon.
On Friday, he was introduced as a substitute and was arguably the Reds’ best player.
O’Brien scored a consolation goal for the Reds and his work rate looks likely to be a very useful assiet for the Reds.
2. Dean Henderson
The on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper has produced the goods so far this season.
His form for the Reds has earned him a recall to the England setup for games against Italy and Germany.
Henderson has saved penalties from Declan Rice and Harry Kane so far this season.
3. Orel Mangala
It’s perhaps representative of the campaign Forest are having that a man who has played just 154 minutes is in at number three.
Mangala looks the real deal though and he already looks like one of the team’s better signings from a busy summer of activity.
These two weeks could be crucial for the Reds and having Mangala back for Leicester would be massive.
4. Moussa Niakhate
Another player who looks like being important to the team’s fortunes this season is the Senegal international.
Niakhate has played 162 minutes for the Reds and he’s another player who Cooper will be desperate to have back for the Leicester game.
The 26-year-old signed for the Reds from Mainz and already he’s shown glimpses of his class.
5. Neco Williams
The former Liverpool man has played all seven of Forest’s fixtures in the Premier League.
He looks a very shrewd piece of business, despite having big shoes to fill with Djed Spence excelling last season.
Williams will hope to improve offensively but when it comes to defending he’s largely been spot on.
6. Taiwo Awoniyi
Gets the nod in at number seven for his two goals in the red of Forest to date.
The Nigerian striker looks a very capable player and at 25-years-old he has time on his side.
Cooper is searching for a winning formula but he has to give Awoniyi a run of games in the team.
7. Morgan Gibbs-White
The club record signing is still getting up to speed and naturally more will be expected in the way of goals and assists.
Still, his work rate has been impressive and he looks capable of operating in a number of different positions.
Gibbs-White looks like an extremely talented player for the future and the Reds are lucky to have him on board.
8. Brennan Johnson
Again, he gets the nod purely because of the two goals he has scored so far this season.
Johnson played much better during Friday’s defeat to Fulham and the challenge for him is to prove his worth in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old is Forest’s match-winner on his day and naturally, the fans will remain right behind him this season.