Football

Money is not everything. Nottingham languish among the elite, Brighton’s goalkeeper had more touches of the ball than both opposing strikers on Tuesday

It was supposed to be one of the dark horses of the Premier League, instead Nottingham are second to last a quarter of the way through the season. The Premier League newcomer is also struggling gamely, defending a goalless draw at Brighton on Tuesday with all its might.

Published

2 years ago

19. 10. 2022

Eduard Nosek

Nottingham had only five points before the 11th round. At the beginning of the season, they had beaten a struggling West Ham, then gained a point for draws with Everton and then Aston Villa. He was four points behind the non-relegation places.

He went into the Brighton game as an underdog. They had a good start to the season, with fourteen points, only two points behind fifth-placed Manchester United. On the other hand, Graham Potter, who was signed by Chelsea in September, is no longer on the bench.

As expected, Brighton were the better side, but didn’t convert the overwhelming pressure into goals. Pascal Gross hit the crossbar and Dean Henderson shone in goal. The game ended 0-0 and Nottingham moved out of last place in the table ahead of Leicester.

For the visitors, a point was a win, as they only held the ball for 30 percent of the game. It was the umpteenth time that Forest’s gave an overly defensive performance, which even their fans didn’t like. Yet the squad is quite good after the summer strengthening.

Nottingham’s offensive players Brennan Johnson and Jesse Lingard got so little play that more touches on the ball than both of them combined (16+10) were had by all of Brighton’s starting lineup, including goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Expectations were high for the rookie. Lingard wasn’t the only big name the management brought in over the summer. Forward Taiwo Awoniyi came from Union Berlin, Remo Freuler left Atalanta, and Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis. Nottingham spent the most money of any club in the league after Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham and Tottenham. It’s been a misery so far anyway.

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