The international break is now in full swing and Nottingham Forest have several players currently in action.
Matz Sels saved a penalty and earned rave reviews against Andrew Omobamidele’s Republic of Ireland yesterday. Willy Boly went off injured for the Ivory Coast.
Rodrigo Ribeiro has also been in the thick of things. He played for the Portugal Under-19s against Greece and Serbia, scoring twice and claiming two assists.
Things were kicked off, however, by Forest defender Neco Williams. The Reds player starred as Wales put themselves within a game of reaching Euro 2024 by beating Finland 4-1.
Neco Williams catches the eye with stunning Wales moment
So often at Forest, Williams has fought a losing battle for a place in the team. Serge Aurier, Ola Aina and Gonzalo Montiel have all kept him out of the side previously – but those days look to be a thing of the past.
When it comes to being vastly improved, Williams epitomises that notion at Forest. He’s made the right-back spot his own under Nuno Espirito Santo and he did something brilliant for Wales last week.
One of the biggest issues for Forest has been set pieces. In fact, it’s the one issue that right now is offering real cause for concern and is threatening the club’s Premier League status.
In Williams, Forest might have a secret weapon in their armoury, however. As Wales thrashed Finland, the 22-year-old scored a stunning free-kick and after the game received rave reviews from the national media.
Wales Online gave him an 8/10 and said of his display: “Caused Finland issues bombing up and down that left flank and took his free kick superbly, rifling it into the top corner for Wales’ second.”
Another publication claimed: “The scorer of the second goal and what a strike it was! Williams is always a threat going forward down the left-hand side and did the defensive work when needed.”
Forest can utilise Williams after amazing strike
In truth, Forest haven’t looked like scoring directly from a free kick all season. As a result, it might now be worth to let Williams have a pop based on this effort.
Forest fans will have watched this in amazement. With one little lay-off and bang, the ball sailed into the net leaving the Finland goalkeeper clutching at thin air and sending Wales into delirium.
It was the type of goal that Forest fans can only dream of and Williams clearly has this in his locker. The Reds have to try something different so why not give the defender a go?
Espirito Santo will have had a few days to work with the non-international players this week. When Williams returns, however, he might need to have a session on utilising these thunderbolt set piece efforts at Forest.
It’s great to see Williams enjoying his football and improving all the time with Forest and Wales. The club only paid £17 million for his services and as a youngster, he can still prove to be good value for money.
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