Chris Wood has hit the elusive 20-goal mark in the Premier League for the first time this season, leading to close comparisons with Newcastle United marksman Alexander Isak.
Wood became Forest’s second 20-goal Premier League striker after Stan Collymore achieved the feat back in the 1994-95 season, emphasising the Kiwi international’s status as one of the club’s best ever goalscorers.
In fact, earlier in the season, Wood became Forest’s top Premier League scorer during the Reds’ incredible run in December. Recently, though, the goals haven’t been flowing as freely.
Wood did score in Forest’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City on Sunday to hopefully reignite his form for the final fortnight of the season, leading to Sam Allardyce taking a wider look at the striker’s season.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Sam Allardyce compares Chris Wood and Alexander Isak
Wood is the Premier League’s most clinical striker when it comes to shot conversion, but Newcastle’s Isak has dominated the headlines with his 23 league goals.
The two have had similar campaigns in being far and away their side’s top scorers, but Allardyce showed a clear preference when discussing the pair on his No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast.
He said: “The leading goal scorer, Isak. I mean, wow, what a season he’s had. […] I think I might be talking differently if I were sat here and I was saying that Forest are in the top four and Wood scored another couple of goals, two or three goals in the last five or six games to get them there.”
A fair point on Wood’s form dipping in the crucial stage of the season, Allardyce was still keen to recognise how well the Forest man had performed.
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He added: “In terms of achievement and the fact that he’s one of these players who’s done okay in the Premier League but he’s the sort of bottom half striker, he’s not a top goalscorer and I think the manager [Espirito Santo] has found a way for him to score a lot more goals than anybody else has.”
Whilst true that Wood’s form has dipped over the few weeks that could’ve secured Champions League football, questions must be asked of his attacking support as well.
Chris Wood cannot carry Forest’s scoring burden alone
Espirito Santo defended Wood on the back of another goalscoring blank against Crystal Palace, and he had a point when considering the lack of support Wood has had in the scoring tally.
Player Goals this season
Chris Wood 20
Anthony Elanga 6
Morgan Gibbs-White 6
Callum Hudson-Odoi 5
Nikola Milenkovic 4
Nottingham Forest’s top scorers this season
Forest’s preferred front four consists of Wood supported by Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who combined have scored less than Wood himself.
This is simply an unsustainable trend which has reared its head in Wood’s goalscoring dip, as nobody in the Forest squad can pick up the slack.
Thankfully, Forest are targeting Yoane Wissa and other strikers in an attempt to rectify the situation, but in terms of the Champions League race this season, it’s been a case of too little support for the 33-year-old up front.