Off the mark, yet miles off it: Reviewing Forest Away MW3
Written By Sai Reddy: https://x.com/ttid_reddy
Tottenham secured a hard-fought 0-0 draw away against a lacklustre Nottingham Forest which meant they break their duck for the Premier League 26/27 season here in Matchweek 3. While the defense looked fairly robust and sound throughout the match outside of a couple of Forest chances (and a goal-line stampede), the attack looked toothless and lacked ideas which has been the storyline for a while at Tottenham. Midfield was by far the best in the game, with Rodrigo Bentancur the standout player for the visitors in a squad that’s missing key creative players. But there’s still optimism for De Zerbi’s side with the first clean-sheet of the season on board and a bunch of players, both new and returning, being integrated into the squad post the transfer deadline day. Let’s dive in.
Spurs started off strong, carrying a threat throughout the first-half. Case in point, we had five corners in the opening 10 minutes (yes, five!), to put this in perspective Hull City at third have six in the entire season thus far. The chance of the half however fell to the Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, who timed his bending run to perfection while brushing off Neco Williams to meet Porro’s typical ball over-top. Managing to be through on goal and having a brilliant first-touch across to set himself up, the finish let him down with his low-drive finishing wide of Mats Selz’s right-hand post. Marmoush had another notable effort in the second-half after a long ball from the keeper, cutting in from the left and with Kudus open on the far-side, the former City attacker blazed his shot over to squander what was the best chance of the game for either side.
The most notable moment of the game came in the second-half when Forest were through on goal via Gibbs-White whose shot was half-saved by Kinsky. The ball was still alive and managed to find its way into the net through a combination of goal-line clearance mishaps by Tonali and Van Hecke, and Neco William’s effort to bundle it in at the death. The goal was however eventually ruled out by VAR citing a handball by the Welsh fullback.
Outside of this, Tony Kinsky in goal was largely a bystander for the entire game barring a couple of long-range efforts. The Czech shot-stopper’s distribution is a refreshing step-up in quality with manager himself praising him in-game on multiple occasions, something which should help stabilize our defense. Speaking of which, Porro back to his original position of right-back showed why he is one of the best in the world in his role both offensively and defensively, a remarkable contrast to his ventures at right-wing against Newcastle in matchweek 2; complemented equally by Udogie who had a strong outing albeit was subbed-off at 60 minute-mark citing fitness concerns.
The Dutch Centre-back partnership of JP and VDV looked strong, robust and pacy with the ability to ping long balls and start attacks with relative ease. The upturn in recovery, keeping Forest’s pace upfront under control meant the Tottenham goal remained unthreatened for large parts of the game.
Tottenham started off with the midfield of Tonali, Bentancur and Gallagher leaving out Mateus Fernandes on the bench which the gaffer described as more reliable and experienced for an away game in the premier league. Tonali had a decent outing in midfield, carrying the ball well, progressing in the box and often offering support on the left, but was outshone by his Uruguayan counterpart who alongside JP Van Hecke, was a strong man-of-the match contender. The Uruguayan was fantastic at reading the game and made his presence felt in both boxes, constantly sniffing danger and calming things down.
Among the remaining starters, while Tel and Gallagher had mediocre performances at best, Savio was handed his debut on the right-wing, and carried a threat with his retention and ball-carrying ability running directly at the Forest defence. His partnership with Porro could yet be something to look forward to in the upcoming games if the Brazilian is indeed preferred to Kudus on the right, who came on at the hour mark.
In addition to Kudus, Solanke, Mateus and Robertson were also used as substitutes with Spurs looking to win the game late on. Solanke had a notable chance when he shouldered the ball over the crossbar from a Kudus cross. Furthermore, Mudryk came on for Mathys Tel which created an air of anticipation amongst the fans. While the stage was set for him to affect the game and get the win for his side, it didn’t quite materialise into the fairytale one would have hoped for; the Ukrainian however showed glimpses of his pace and aggression notably winning a free-kick high up on the left. And while there’s plenty of room for improvement in this department, Spurs posed a threat from set-pieces with Van de Ven, seemingly unmarked, putting a chance wide when the goal seemed gaping from a corner.
Tottenham did secure a point away against a side they lost 3-0 twice last season, arresting their run of defeats for the current campaign. The defense looked much more solid compared to recent months, aided by a midfield who had a decent showing as well. The attack is still sub-par with no shots on target to show for the entire game, but with the likes of Kudus, Mudryk and Savio coming back in, and with Kulusevski and Maddison around the corner, the hope is to have an upturn in attacking returns as the side still await their first premier league goal and win of the season.