Nottingham Forest continued their winning start to pre-season by beating Blackburn Rovers 3-0 in the Algarve.
Oliver Glasner took the chance to field two different teams and every player gained invaluable minutes against Championship opposition.
Igor Jesus, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Taiwo Awoniyi all bagged for the Reds with Blackburn never really laying a glove on the Premier League outfit.
Following the contest, we looked at the players who played and scored them out of 10 for their efforts, with a number of very steady performances – albeit in a game that was played in typical pre-season style.
Nottingham Forest first-half player ratings vs Blackburn
Matz Sels – 6
Never quite looks comfortable when coming off his line, and a solid goalkeeper signing to challenge him is a must this summer. Made a solid save in the 32nd minute but it wasn’t one that needed any real heroics.
Ola Aina – 6
If he’s going to feature under Glasner as a permanent fixture at right wing-back, he simply has to improve his final delivery. Still, this is quite new to him, and he does have the skill set to accomplish this as pre-season progresses.
Nikola Milenkovic – 6
Was almost punished for some slack defensive work when playing out from the back in the first half and will have to quickly get used to Oliver Glasner’s way of playing.
Where would Nottingham Forest finish in the Premier League with a back three of Murillo, Diomande and Milenkovic?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Morato – 6
Coped well with the new style of play that Glasner deployed and did look more comfortable having Williams closer to him and two central defenders alongside him.
Jair Cunha – 7
Stepped into midfield extremely well, with the goal coming from his superb run down the pitch. Cunha looks tailor-made for a Glasner system on this showing.
Neco Williams – 6
Didn’t look overly comfortable as a wing-back, but much like Aina, this will be something that he should get used to with the more games he plays in the position.
Ryan Yates – 6
Did what was expected of him with minimal fuss and captained the team for the second team during pre-season.
Nicolas Dominguez – 7
Broke play up very well in parts during the first 45 minutes and kept things neat and tidy with his passing.
James McAtee – 7
Looked very lively in the final third, and although he’s got work to do to prove himself, Forest would be silly to wash their hands of him just yet. There is definitely potential with McAtee.
Morgan Gibbs-White – 6
Did some things well and some things not so good during his 45-minute appearance. He made a superb raking pass out wide around the 25-minute mark but lost possession in sloppy fashion on a few occasions.
Igor Jesus – 8
Very lively, struck the post in the first half and also forced a good block from a Blackburn defender in the opening exchanges. However, fluffed his lines when put clean through on 35 minutes, taking a really heavy touch under no real pressure. Took his goal extremely well.
Nottingham Forest second half player ratings vs Blackburn
John Victor – 6
Had very little to do between the posts as Forest controlled the game with relative ease in the second 45 minutes. His distribution looked very rusty.
Eric Da Silva Moreira – 7
Produced a wonderful assist for Forest’s third goal and looked comfortable getting forward throughout the second half.
Tyler Bindon – 6
Much like the other defenders, he was largely untested, but against Championship opposition he did look pretty comfortable.
Zach Abbott – 6
Marshalled the defence well and looked more at home playing as a central defender rather than as a wing-back.
Omar Richards – 6
Took an early whack from a Blackburn player but did largely well in this latest pre-season outing.
Luca Netz – 6
Tried to get Forest probing in the final third and of all the club’s full-backs he arguably does look the best suited to Glasner’s system.
Chinaza Nwosu – 6
Much like Grady McDonnell next to him, Nwosu didn’t look fazed playing against players who are much more advanced than himself, and it looks as though he has a bright future.
Grady McDonnell – 7
For a youngster, he didn’t look fazed with the physical side of the game, and he is clearly benefiting from training with men already.
A winning start for Glasner.. which three Forest players impressed you most vs Blackburn? 👏
Jesus 40', Kalimuendo 48', Awoniyi 51'
Dilane Bakwa – 6
A solid if unspectacular outing for Bakwa, who kept things relatively simple but didn’t really get many chances to run at the opposition.
Taiwo Awoniyi – 7
Finished nicely to get off the mark for pre-season, and the Nigerian seems to enjoy every opportunity that comes his way in the Garibaldi.
Arnaud Kalimuendo – 7
Took his goal extremely well early in the second half, and it really would be a shame for Forest to sell him.
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