Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has done a lot of good things since he arrived at the City Ground but playing Moussa Niakhate at left-back was a big mistake.
Yesterday, his big call over who should get the nod on the left of a back four proved extremely costly.
Forest found themselves 3-0 down at Villa Park and facing an uphill challenge to get back into the game.
Niakhate starting at left-back was a costly Forest error
Well, in our view, this is a decision that just made no sense whatsoever.
Okay, Niakhate did score the Forest goal that saw them pull one back before the break but defensively it proved a disaster.
With Leon Bailey likely to perform well on the right-hand side, it was always going to require a natural player at left-back.
Niakhate playing there would have made sense if Forest didn’t have Harry Toffolo – a natural option – sitting kicking his heels on the bench.
Forest were badly exposed down that side of the pitch and Niakhate’s positional sense saw Felipe and Murillo pick up bookings.
Both of those players were hooked at half-time and when Niakhate went back to the centre of defence, Forest looked far more structured.
The 27-year-old has largely been impressive since he arrived at the club but ultimately he’s a centre-back and should be used as such.
Niakhate has made 16 appearances in the Premier League this season and he does now have a first goal for the club.
Espirito Santo owns mistake and hopefully Toffolo can earn a reprieve
Some comments from the manager after the game suggest that he was happy to pick Niakhate at left-back – but remained coy over whether he’d do it again.
Toffolo deserves another chance to shine. The 28-year-old has been largely decent this season and it feels harsh that he’s seemingly third choice now.
Playing Niakhate at left-back has backfired twice this season for Forest.
Against Brentford in October, Steve Cooper made the same call and Niakhate was sent off with around half an hour still to play.
Since checking in at Forest, Espirito Santo has done a lot of good things.
However, playing Niakhate at left-back was his first major mistake and it’s one that he simply has to learn from going forward.
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