Losing at Arsenal is no disgrace for Nottingham Forest, even if the manner of the defeat may leave a little sour taste and some of the players wondering what might have been.
Especially for those 8,000 plus supporters that battled pretty unpleasant traffic conditions both on the way to the Emirates and back home to cheer on their side in north London.
They’ll feel like their team could have been a little more adventurous, and been less intimidated by Unai Emery’s side, which, let’s be fair, wasn’t at its strongest, even if the scoreline did look a little emphatic come the end.
I’ve already highlighted about concerns I have aside of Lewis Grabban and how much they missed him on the night.
What also stands out was the lack of leadership on the pitch, when Forest needed a bit of a shake-up, it didn’t really come.
Nobody out there seemed to grab things by the scruff of the neck, especially at 1-0 when they started to enjoy a bit more ball in Gunners territory.
And for that reason, it does go to show how crucial Michael Dawson, Joe Worrall and Ben Watson are to the way in which the Reds play, coupled with the mentality of the team.
Tiago Silva, Joao Carvalho, Matty Cash and Joe Lolley are all very good players, one thing they don’t strike me as is being leaders, however.
Some players are suited to taking on that role and some aren’t, and in Dawson they have a player who leads by example, one who cajoles other players and when things maybe aren’t going too well, he has the ability to lift them.
It’s imperative Sabri Lamouchi can keep those three fit for as long as possible, their character runs right through the side and it’ll be needed in spades at Stoke on Friday night when the quest for Championship points takes in the Potteries.
Garry Birtles this week was in conversation with Barry Cooper
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