Premier League Rescue Racing: Nottingham despite wide squad has holes in line-up

A two-week break from English football = the perfect time to recap the balanced bottom half of the Premier League. This time we look at the 16th position, which is Nottingham. The latter has weathered the rookie crisis and has been playing relatively pressure-free in recent weeks. Or rather, he has been playing, as after a run of six games without a win he has only a two-point lead for relegation.

When Nottingham strengthened massively and expensively in the summer, nobody doubted that they would save themselves among the elite. But it took a long time for the team to settle down, and it is because of the poor start that the newcomer will not avoid the fight for survival.

We need to find move players

It’s almost ironic that with the extreme breadth of the squad, Nottingham don’t have a proper winger. Steve Cooper can get by without one, but he lacks pace at the edges of the midfield in certain phases of the game. And he doesn’t have anyone to get it through on the pitch.

But we need to find a solution. It won’t be easy, but Emmanuel Dennis could be dangerous from the edge of the box. Brennan Johnson may play in different positions, he can handle the wing, but he is productive mainly from the striker position.

Navas as a key

Not that Dean Henderson was making any mistakes, but with the arrival of Keylor Navas, Nottingham’s defensive game simply went up. That’s a fact. Zero on opening night and an important 1-0 win over Leeds.

Since then, though six games without a win, on the other hand, heroic performances against Manchester City (1::1) or Everton (2::2) secured two points. However, he needs to be supported by a defence that occasionally plays well, but certainly not regularly.

The plan for the rest of the season

Despite the expensive reinforcements, the expected fight for the first half of the table has become a fight for salvation. A place outside the “bottom 3” will also be the main goal for the rest of the season. And we need to start scoring points right after the end of the break.

Nottinhgam will start with a six-point home battle with Wolverhampton, with rivals Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton still to play. Of the big six teams, they will challenge Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Source: Premier League