Latest Nottingham Forest news as Sean Dyche's Reds draw 0-0 away to Sturm Graz in Europa League
05:00, 07 Nov 2025
Nottingham Forest head coach Sean Dyche watches on against Sturm Graz
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Nottingham Forest head coach Sean Dyche watches on against Sturm Graz(Image: PA)
Sean Dyche insisted his Nottingham Forest team selection for Thursday night’s 0-0 draw at Sturm Graz was not made with the weekend in mind.
Injuries and unavailability stretched the Reds’ resources for the Europa League clash in Austria. They still had enough chances to win the game but had to settle for what could be a valuable point on the road.
Navigating the addition of European fixtures this season is proving to be a challenge for Forest. They are keen to do well in the competition but also find themselves fighting at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
Dyche made seven changes to his starting XI at the Merkur Arena, including naming Matz Sels and Murillo on the bench and leaving Elliot Anderson back in the UK. But he made clear afterwards he did not have one eye on Sunday’s crunch clash with Leeds United when putting together his team.
“It's not rotating for the sake of it, it's because we had to,” he said. “You look at the injuries. Elliot was more of a precaution, but he’s got various knocks he's been carrying so we wanted to give him a chance to try to ease them.
“Igor (Jesus) was obviously suspended and we've got the three players (Taiwo Awoniyi, Omari Hutchinson and Jair Cunha) who are not part of the Europa League group. That's challenging in itself.
“But that's where it's at at the moment. We want to win against Leeds, obviously, but then hopefully the international break just gives players a bit more time and the injuries can settle down.
“At least with a no-game schedule for those two weeks, players are not missing more games. Hopefully they get fitter quicker, or quicker than expected.
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“I’m pleased with the players that have come in. I thought Ibrahim (Sangare) was excellent - he has not played so much. He had Ryan Yates alongside him. Morato again was decent - at least decent - solid. John (Victor) got a clean-sheet.
“The clean-sheet was good. I don't really remember too many chances for them and I think that's a good sign. But not having the killer edge was the frustrating part.”
It summed up Forest’s limited options that Dyche brought on centre-backs Murillo and Zach Abbott late on against Graz. Having already introduced Dan Ndoye, he had little other attacking talent available to try to push for a winner.
“By then we were trying to change the shape, to try and activate,” Dyche said. “It was also trying to safeguard the players who have got to go again, because there are some that are going to have to go again.
“And also it was changing the shape to use the players we've got and try to nick a goal. At the end we had set-pieces and looked a threat. We were big at that stage of the game and you think, go on, nick one.
“There were only so many changes we could make. If the game was under control more, with the scoreline, we could maybe have made more with the younger players and saved some of the players who have been playing a lot of minutes.
“Unfortunately we couldn't do that because we certainly didn't want to lose the game. We never really looked like we were going to lose the game, but you never know.
“We came here with a threadbare side but the mentality was very clear, I thought, and that was pleasing. We went to win the game.
“I was pleased with that side of things. But that killer edge, that's something we've got to keep challenging ourselves to find.”
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