The mood in the Nottingham Forest camp won’t be great after the Carabao Cup defeat to Swansea City, but one player earned a remarkable comparison to Kevin De Bruyne.
Ange Postecoglou was heard shouting in the changing room as his much-changed Reds side gave up a two-goal lead against Championship Swansea, despite having enough chances to make their lead unassailable.
It was clear that Forest’s lack of a clinical edge against Swansea was the root cause of this frustration for Postecoglou, with some of the poor defending a secondary issue.
However, the wasteful finishing did come from some strong creative play from the Reds, leading to one star earning a remarkable comparison with Kevin De Bruyne from Michael Dawson.
James McAtee in action for Nottingham Forest against West Ham.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
James McAtee earns Kevin De Bruyne comparisons vs Swansea
Wednesday night saw plenty of the summer’s new additions get their first start in the Garibaldi, with Forest fans impressed by Dilane Bakwa in particular.
In midfield, James McAtee got the nod over Morgan Gibbs-White for the first time since his arrival from Manchester City, where he must’ve learned a lot from De Bruyne and co.
According to Dawson on Sky Sports, McAtee actually showed signs of the Belgian’s influence during the brilliant move that led to Forest’s second goal.
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He said: What I like from McAtee there, though, he doesn’t just flick it around the corner. You don’t stand still when you’re playing football. Pass and move, sprinting behind, and it comes from Manchester City.
“It’s that little De Bruyne run in behind the fullback, and can someone find it? Savona great pass and he puts it on a plate.”
Looking deeper into McAtee’s stats from the game, he certainly showed glimpses of bringing that creativity from Pep Guardiola’s side to the City Ground.
James McAtee was Nottingham Forest’s creative spark
McAtee impressed on his Forest debut when he came off the bench against Crystal Palace, showing the quality instilled into his chance creation in particular by Guardiola.
Statistic James McAtee vs Swansea City
Chances created 3
Passes into the final third 4
Possession lost 14
McAtee created three chances for his teammates, which goes to emphasise how wasteful the Reds were on Wednesday night. He should’ve had a goal himself, too, after Bakwa’s mazy run presented him with a chance from close range that he lashed wide.
Worryingly, though, he did lose the ball 14 times, which will need to be tidied up. McAtee’s quality on the ball suggests that it will be, though, which would give the Reds a true difference maker from midfield.