‘Chasing shadows’… Nottingham Forest fans enraged by star who looked ‘lost’ against Fulham

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Nottingham Forest were second-best throughout their 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Saturday, but one player in particular had an afternoon to forget.

Forest were beaten by Fulham in a game that never truly got going for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as Fulham managed to control the game whilst preventing Forest from counterattacking.

In the buildup, Fulham boss Marco Silva said his side would dominate the ball against Forest which was exactly the case in the first half as Fulham turned their 65% possession into 11 shots in the opening 45 minutes.

While the ever-reliable Chris Wood got his 18th goal of the season to equalise the game before halftime, Fulham again started the second period on top and eventually got the goal that earned them all three points against a Forest squad that couldn’t handle the host’s endless crossing.

Ironically, Silva picked his hypothetical Forest midfield in his pre-match press conference, but one of the stars he named had a difficult afternoon at Craven Cottage.

Nottingham Forest fans react to Danilo’s performance vs Fulham

After James Ward-Prowse was recalled by West Ham United, there was excitement amongst Forest fans as the Brazilian midfielder Danilo had recently returned from injury for Espirito Santo.

Danilo was emotional on his return against Luton Town but the Brazilian hasn’t exactly earned his spot back in the starting XI yet with his match fitness still returning.

However, his display against Fulham would have done him no favours as Forest fans took to social media to voice their displeasure.

One Forest fan said: “Danilo’s not really got into the game, some very lazy passes, need better.” While another added: “Think we need to make a change for Danilo, he’s definitely looking slow and a bit lost at the moment.”

Another Forest fan said: “Need to sub Danilo for Sangare. Losing the ball way too much.” With a different fan adding: “Danilo still way off it, unfortunately.”

Forest fans continued to slate Danilo, with one saying: “Danilo and Williams were ran all over the gaff first half,” and another adding: “I swear Danilo can only play well at the City Ground.”

Danilo’s disappointing display against Fulham in numbers

In a midfield alongside Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson, Danilo would’ve been expected by the Forest manager to provide the defensive steel, but this was not the case against Fulham.

Granted, Fulham chose to attack the wide areas more than the centre but Danilo winning zero tackles or aerial duels is a bad look for a player at the base of midfield.

If he’s not going to contribute defensively, then Danilo had to offer something going forward which was again lacking as he created no chances or shots for himself.

Above all, though, his role required accurate passing to help Forest with the little possession available, so his 70% pass accuracy was not up to standard, leading to Danilo being subbed off after 64 minutes.

Forest fans were excited to have Danilo back from injury but based on his performance against Fulham, he has a lot of work to do to become a key cog in the midfield for Espirito Santo.