Nottingham Forest head into the Europa League this season after a 30-year absence from European competition, but Nuno Espírito Santo’s latest decision has dampened the mood.
Forest were promoted into the Europa League after originally qualifying for the Conference League, due to Crystal Palace’s breach of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
An added bonus of this was that the Reds were able to bypass any qualifying stages, leading to the exciting moment when Forest found out their Europa League fixtures for the league phase.
However, as the City Ground faithful get ready for their European tour, Espírito Santo has just made a decision that has left the Reds’ support in a state of confusion.
Nottingham Forest fans react to Europa League squad
Given the Reds’ extensive transfer activity, Espírito Santo can essentially select two starting XIs and both would be packed with enough quality to succeed.
Due to the strict UEFA squad registration rules, though, players were always going to miss out, leading to the surprise news that Omari Hutchinson had been left out of the Europa League squad.
If the absence of the record signing wasn’t enough, leaving new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko out of the travelling group has caused serious confusion.
One fan said: “Seems bizarre not to have Zinchenko,” while another continued: “I cannot believe he’s not included Zinchenko. Experienced at the very top and will add depth in the fullback areas, which he’s also been crying out for.”
Another said: “Can’t quite get my head around the selection. Zinchenko’s flexibility surely should have seen him get a spot?” One more Forest fan added: “Not sure what I would choose, but Dominguez over Hutchinson and no Zinchenko seems odd.”
One Red continued: “The choices made in that Europa League squad are baffling. No Zinchenko is possibly the strangest,” with another adding: “Zinchenko not being in that list is especially weird…when you consider his experience & versatility.”
Amid the confusion of leaving Zinchenko out, there are a number of inclusions that seem especially odd decisions from Espírito Santo.
Nuno’s Europa League squad includes some confusing options
Without Zinchenko, the Reds are left with just Neco Williams for the Europa League as a natural left-back. An argument could be made that Ola Aina can cover the position, but that would simply create the same issue on the right.
Looking at who has been included instead of Zinchenko makes the decision even more confusing. For starters, an injured Nicolas Dominguez has been given a space, which may be wise when he is fit again but the time needed to recover and then return to match fitness makes it a strange call.
Even more strange is the situation at centre-back, though. Both Willy Boly and Morato have been included in the squad, with Boly in particular having not made a competitive appearance since April.
Forest could still sell Morato, too, another factor that makes it strange that he’d be selected over the versatile and experienced Zinchenko.
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