Arguments could be made that Forest, with Sean Dyche, who took his 8th match in charge of the struggling Reds, were unlucky not to produce at least a goal from their fairly limited chances, however the Albion defence stayed strong. Which, leads very nicely onto my first point!
THE TURNAROUND OF EL CAPITAN
People will always have words to say about Lewis Dunk, especially after his shaky season last term. An unconvincing start to the season followed, with questions even being asked of his defensive partner Jan Paul Van Hecke.
But what’s followed since? Almost flawless performances, being back to the same Lewis Dunk we all know and love. Blocking shots and (not quite) scoring goals. Throwing his body on the line, whilst also having invaluable ball playing ability in the first line.
Lewis has just turned 34, so for him to be putting these performances at this age, (lack of) athleticism but also defensive IQ, is brilliant to see, and long may it continue. After Boscagli’s unconvincing display against Brentford, Diego Coppola limited to cup minutes and sub cameos, that CB spot is all his.
ABILITY TO GRIND OUT RESULTS
This is a big thing for me, and has been a big issue. We’ve been too afraid to get our hands dirty, and to try and win games in a ‘pretty’ way. We couldn’t do much of this under De Zerbi, but have seen only glimpses of it under Hurzeler. Newcastle away last season stands out, along with Ipswich away too.
Yes of course, we’ve had games this season which haven’t been anywhere near good enough from a tactical point of view, but the last two games against Brentford where we weren’t great, and Forest which we were under pressure for a large portion of the game, especially second half- taken these situations and turned them into results. Two wins from two, going into a tricky Christmas period and as it stands, 6th in the league table. But, just for how long can we sustain this?
MAXIM AHA AHA DE CUYPER AHA AHA
After some mixed performances at left back, I personally thought Maxim was excellent on the wing. Picked up some good positions, in the right place at the right time to slot the ball on his weaker foot into Mats Sels’ bottom left corner. A pretty convincing finish given he’s a left back!
But seriously, his ball striking is something that has always stood out to me, and this can be a real asset going forward. Fabian Hurzeler typically chooses Ferdi Kadioglu to play on the wing over him, despite the Belgian’s defensive weakness. Personally, I think De Cuyper has adapted fairly well to the Premier League so far, and he has a great skillset for a winger.
To sum up, it’s consistency. How long will we be able to keep up with the pack? If not, how will Fab adapt? It’s a question of time, results and a learning process for all involved. But for now, to enjoy this good moment at the club, having only 2 losses in 10 games (all comps), including 6 wins, and carry on this momentum.
