Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper bemoaned Joe Worrall after yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Luton Town. The Hatters came from two goals behind to snatch a point at the City Ground.
Worrall was introduced just after Chris Wood had scored his second of the afternoon to make it 2-0 to Forest. The captain didn’t cover himself in glory with the second goal as Elijah Adebayo bullied him to score a deserved equaliser.
Forest have slipped to 15th in the Premier League. They’ve not taken three points from home games against Burnley, Brentford and Luton which isn’t a particularly healthy return.
Forest boss Cooper bemoans Worrall for second goal
It’s always been a vice of Worrall’s. Whenever he came up against big target men in the Championship he was often found wanting and here he was making another error.
The 26-year-old has to learn from these errors if he’s to become a regular in the team at Premier League level. Cooper is aware of that too and he’s not considered him a regular in the team this season.
After the game yesterday, Cooper bemoaned the second goal. He told The Athletic: “For the second goal, we were not strong enough, there was no pressure on the ball. We were not strong enough with the aerial ball, which was clear to see.”
No time for passengers as Cooper searches for Forest win
The Forest head coach didn’t name Worrall but in talking about the aerial challenge, he’s clearly referring to the captain. Ultimately, there comes a time when sentiment has to cease and it’s worth noting that Moussa Niakhate was overlooked yesterday.
For many of these Forest players, it’s time to sink or swim and that includes Worrall. The Reds have an ambitious owner overseeing the fortunes of the football club and another relegation battle will simply not be accepted.
Whether or not Worrall keeps his place when Forest go to Liverpool next week remains to be seen. On his showing yesterday, Cooper might just turn to Niakhate instead next time.
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