Nottingham Forest concluded their pre-season in the same way they started, with another 0-0 draw that must’ve worried Nuno Espírito Santo.
Fans weren’t pleased with the Al Qadsiah draw as they once again witnessed their side struggle to impose themselves on a team.
Perhaps most concerning about Saturday’s draw was that Al Qadsiah had only played two pre-season matches prior to their trip to the City Ground, so Forest should’ve had a major advantage in match sharpness at the very least.
While results don’t necessarily matter in pre-season, the Al Qadsiah clash was the latest evidence that one of Espírito Santo’s summer experiments is not ready to be deployed in the Premier League.
Nuno Espírito Santo watches on during Birmingham City vs Nottingham Forest
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Nuno Espírito Santo’s two-striker experiment isn’t working
After Morgan Gibbs-White missed the Al Qadsiyah game due to a personal matter, it was Igor Jesus who started in his place, with the licence to move closer to Chris Wood up front.
Espírito Santo has been experimenting with tactics in the off-season with the two strikers a regular theme of the friendly games, but one that hasn’t really worked as Forest have scored just one goal in seven pre-season matches.
With Wood up front, the Forest squad have a clear focal point to work with, but so far, adding Jesus to the mix at the same time as the Kiwi has complicated matters.
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This is due to Jesus’ style as a striker, one who likes to drop deep to receive the ball but also make runs in behind too, a clear contrast to Wood and one that seems to be muddying the natural order of the Reds’ attack from last season.
It’s not to say that Jesus won’t work at the City Ground, though, with the onus now on the Forest coaching staff to add more nuance to his all-action style.
Patience is required with Igor Jesus
Forest fans praised Jesus’ debut in the pre-season clash with Fulham out in Portugal, loving his energy and ability to link up with his teammates.
Behind the scenes, Jesus has been red hot in shooting drills so the Reds will be confident that the talent is there, but the Brazilian could do with more help in knowing when to drop in and when to play on the last man.
With this in mind, it may be more beneficial for Jesus to be used as a lone striker in place of Wood rather than alongside him, allowing him the freedom of the front line to occasionally drop deep, but mainly to make effective runs in behind.
The club won’t want to stifle the traits that make him the talent that he is, but Jesus may need time to know when it is best to simply act as the focal point as Wood does.