{"id":7891,"date":"2023-05-19T17:34:19","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T16:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=7891"},"modified":"2023-05-22T17:35:10","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T16:35:10","slug":"a-bang-not-a-whimper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=7891","title":{"rendered":"A bang, not a whimper"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color:#fff;display:inline-block;font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;color:#a7a7a7;font-size:11px;width:100%;max-width:349px;\"><div style=\"padding:0;margin:0;text-align:left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/516324394\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div><div style=\"overflow:hidden;position:relative;height:0;padding:141.54727% 0 0 0;width:100%;\"><iframe src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/516324394?et=dnua9wdETqpd12NmsGnixA&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=Ucye5a5zqZrTf29axF5TDAfgKyovpl8-_4Ba7bXQm2w=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"349\" height=\"494\" style=\"display:inline-block;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In a parallel universe, Everton thrashed City last weekend, we beat Brighton, and hopes of a Premier League title remain vibrant. In the harsh reality of the City Ground, Nottingham, late Saturday afternoon, a crestfallen team must pick itself up, knowing that anything less than a win against the hosts will hand the blue Mancs the title that evening \u2014 and the first leg of the treble they are so expensively chasing \u2014 without having to kick a ball and that even a win will only require them to beat Chelsea at the Emptihad the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the final two games are done, there will be time to reflect on what might have been and needs to be done. For now, the best we can hope is that Arteta\u2019s tyros use their final two outings of the season to lay down a marker of intent for next term. Out with a bang, not a whimper, is the rallying cry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last time a Forest preview fell my way was in January 2022. It was a prelude to a shock 1-0 FA Cup Third Round defeat. I noted that the hosts, resurgent after a terrible start to their Championship season, could well be promoted to the Premiership for the first time since 1998-99. They are now clinging to that new-found status, occupying 16th place, three points above the drop zone. Survival is in their own hands, but they will go into the match knowing they will need four points from their final two games to be sure of staying up, although one draw would do it if Leeds and Leicester both lose this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Manager Steve Cooper, who worked magic last season following Chris Houghton\u2019s sacking after taking a single point from Forest\u2019s first seven games, made 30 changes \u2014 yes, 30 \u2014 to his squad on winning promotion, although a lengthy succession of injuries \u2014 ten is the current count \u2014 has trimmed the available number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of those we faced in the Cup in January 2022, only Brennan Johnson will likely be in the Forest squad, let alone start on Saturday. Goal scorer Lewis Grabban was one of those let go and is now without a club. That said, only Ben White, Martin \u00d8degaard and Bukayo Saka are likely to survive from our side that day, which featured a back four of Cedric Soares, Rob Holding, White and Nuno Tavares in front of Bernd Leno, with Calum Chambers, Pablo Mari and Said Kolasinac on the bench. So much has changed \u2014 for so much the better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A bit of history<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We avenged the Cup defeat in the home league game last October, 5-0. That was the first time we had scored five against Forest since the final day of 1960 when we beat them 3-5 at the City Ground, David Herd scoring a hat-trick.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The historical curiosity of that game was that it was Frank O\u2019Neill\u2019s debut. Who, I hear you ask. You could be forgiven for missing the rest of his career. The Irish right-winger made his last and only other appearance in the Football League against Blackpool in April 1961. He then returned to Ireland, enjoying a long career with Shamrock Rovers and winning 20 caps for Ireland, still the most by a player at a League of Ireland club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In both games, O\u2019Neill came in for the injured Danny Clapton, who in November 1958 played for England against Wales in Birmingham and Arsenal against Juventus at Highbury on the same day, as did Jack Kelsey, who had been in goal for Wales. A police escort from Euston got the two men to Highbury three minutes before kick-off. And modern players complain about being overplayed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cooper reverted to the three-man defence for last weekend\u2019s draw at the Bus Stop, a formation that served him well in the Championship but which he largely eschewed in the Premiership until of late. However, the word from our monk on the banks of the Trent is that against us, he will deploy the 4-3-3 that brought the crucial win over Southampton two weeks ago. Four at the back and no wingbacks make room for Johnson to play alongside Morgan Gibbs-White and joint-top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi in attack. Johnson\u2019s pace will be key if Forest is to get behind our high defensive line. Now that the well-oiled blue Mancs and chip-stealing Seagulls have shown that playing rope-a-dope at the back and then going long is a way to beat our high press, every man and his dog will try it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In midfield, expect Ryan Yates, Orel Mangala and Danilo, the in-form young Brazilian who arrived in January from Palmeiras and&nbsp;scores more goals than might be expected of a DM. They will be ahead of a back four of ex-Spud Serge Aurier, the veteran Brazilian Felipe, also a January arrival, from Atletico Madrid, Moussa Niakhate, a French-born Senegal international, and Renan Lodi, another Atletico alumnus. Ex-PSG and Real Madrid stopper Keylor Navas will be between the sticks; Dean Henderson is on a long-term-injured list that includes Neco Williams, Scott McKenna, Jack Colback, Omar Richards, Giulian Biancone and Chris Wood. Yes, you can\u2019t see Wood for the Forest (I\u2019ll get my coat!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, watch for Niakhate\u2019s long, looping throws into the penalty area. They caused Liverpool and Chelsea some grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Arsenal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Will Arteta let his stalwarts atone for their Brighton disappointment? Or will he shuffle the pack? I have no idea. Martinelli and Zinchenko join Saliba, Tomiyasu and Elneny as off-games for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without Zinchenko and KT3 not being a one-for-one substitute, we struggle to control the midfield, especially with Partey so off-form that he cannot get into the starting XI. Xhaka has to play deeper, where his lack of pace is more exposed, and \u00d8degaard becomes more muted. It might be time for more than a bit-part role for ESR. Yet, it is difficult to see where he would fit in, as it increasingly does for next season, too. In his pre-game press conference, Arteta talked of players that \u2018we haven\u2019t had the best out of this season\u2019 and \u2018a few players who haven\u2019t had the minutes or the performances\u2019. That seems to sum up the Croydon De Bruyne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I expect the starting XI to be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Ramsdale<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Tierney<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Jorginho, \u00d8degaard, Xhaka<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Saka, Jesus, Trossard<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second place is secure, but with only two wins in our past seven games, we need to re-establish the winning habit. Did I mention that we should not end this season with a whimper?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The \u2018holics pound<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The game is Forest\u2019s final home game of the season. Twenty-seven of their 34 points have been won at the City Ground, a haul that may explain why the gentlemen of the turf have us as favourites but at not particularly generous odds. There is little value in an away win unless we score four, with 4-1 at 20s. If you think Ramsdale will celebrate his contract extension with a clean sheet, you can find 4-0 at 25s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy the game, \u2018holics, near and far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images In a parallel universe, Everton thrashed City last weekend, we beat Brighton, and hopes of a Premier League title remain vibrant. In the harsh reality of the City Ground, Nottingham, late Saturday afternoon, a crestfallen team must pick itself up, knowing that anything less than a win against the hosts will [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7891"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7891"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7915,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7891\/revisions\/7915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}