This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Time to crank it up a bit.
Nottingham Forest get back into action following the international break this weekend, but former Forest man Garry Birtles has a few concerns with the fixtures that are coming up.
What’s he said?
Speaking with Nottingham Live ahead of this weekend’s game with Wigan Athletic, Birtles insisted that Forest shouldn’t see games like this one as ‘a gimme’:
“You can sometimes take some fixtures for granted, and historically, the likes of Wigan, Hull City and Reading are the ones in which Forest have slipped up in. The signs, so far, are hugely promising – especially when you consider results against Barnsley and Brentford at home, games that previously the Reds would maybe not have tasted victory in.
“Yes, on paper, the fixture list looks favourable over the next five, certainly when you compare it to the ones they’ve had so far, but as we all know, anything can happen in this division and I’m sure Lamouchi will be only too aware of that.”
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A cautious approach isn’t needed
Whilst Birtles talks about a fixture like this being taken seriously, that doesn’t mean that they should set up to be more cautious as a result, in fact quite the opposite approach should be taken.
If you look at their results so far this season, only once have they managed to win a game by more than one, and this could end up costing them.
They need to start being more aggressive in games, not only will it give them a boost in goal difference when it comes to the league table, but it will also give them the opportunity to see games out with a lot less stress.
If they are having to grind games out then it is going to take its toll as they have to give 100% throughout the game and at the end of the season that could end in burnout and a drop in results.
At least when you are two or three goals up with ten minutes to go, you can afford to take your foot off the gas a little bit and take a bit of a breather.
With the fixture list looking as appealing as it does, it’s time for Forest to really ram home their advantage and put their foot on the gas.
