Lorenzo Lucca showed similarities with Andrea Silenzi as Nottingham Forest lost to Fenerbahce in the Europa League but crept through on aggregate.
Forest lost 2-1 on the night at the City Ground, with Callum Hudson-Odoi’s second-half goal enough to ensure a relatively safe passage to the last 16.
Who was the one shining light from the 2-1 Nottingham Forest defeat?
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Vitor Pereira made six changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Liverpool on Sunday, and one of those saw Lorenzo Lucca come in to spearhead the attack.
On this latest showing, it’s time for Pereira to make a brutal call and restore Taiwo Awoniyi to the squad for the remainder of the campaign.
Nottingham Forest striker Lorenzo Lucca
Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images
Taiwo Awoniyi must be in the Nottingham Forest squad vs Brighton
When the Reds last won a Premier League game, Awoniyi raced away to score a brilliant second goal in a 2-0 win against Brentford.
It’s not the sort of thing that Awoniyi does on a regular basis, but ultimately, he looks like a far better option than Lucca at this point.
One thing that Awoniyi can never really be knocked for is his ability to put himself about and be a nuisance to the opposition defenders.
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Lucca scored a good goal in a 3-1 defeat to Leeds, but ultimately, his form has been largely patchy, with his touch and movement looking extremely suspect, to say the least.
Furthermore, Lucca isn’t Forest’s player, given that he’s only on loan and he’s never had experience of fighting in a relegation battle in a league as demanding as the Premier League.
Awoniyi came to the fore in 2022/23 when Steve Cooper’s team had six weeks to save themselves, and he would surely be up for another crack at saving Forest.
Awoniyi can save Forest
It’s got to the point where there is nothing to lose by giving Awoniyi another chance to shine in the Forest squad.
Nobody would expect a great deal from Awoniyi, but one thing that would be a mandatory requirement in his mind would be helping Forest push the opposition back and add physical strength in the final third.
You can only pick one for the squad against Brighton…
Pick your fighter!
Awoniyi played well against Brentford when Forest stunned the in-form Bees and he must be thoroughly frustrated to have slipped down the pecking order again ever since.
The Nigerian can be clumsy with his finishing at times, but with other Forest players missing chances left, right and centre, there’s nothing to lose at this point for Pereira.
Lucca doesn’t look like a striker willing to roll up his sleeves and fight for the Reds’ Premier League status and that is a major concern at this stage of the season.
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