Pereira tactical change 'has unlocked something' in attack
[BBC] [Getty Images] In Sean Dyche's last game in charge of Nottingham Forest, the Reds famously had 35 shots on goal, 10 of which were on target, and scored none. Wolves ' goalkeeper Jose Sa was player of the match and deservedly so, such was the home team's profligacy. At that point, Forest had scored just 25 goals in 26 Premier League games.
But, under Vitor Pereira, we have now scored 16 goals in eight Premier League games, plus a further eight in six Europa League matches. Just when you begin to wonder where the goals will come from, there are 24 goals in 16 outings. Pereira has overseen his side score more goals than any other Premier League side since he joined the club on 15 February.
Nine of those came in just two games - two very important games - at a stage of the season where we desperately needed to win games. But, even so, Friday's 5-0 demolition away at Sunderland was expected by no-one - except, perhaps, Pereira. A season-ending injury to Callum Hudson-Odoi was hardly the news Forest needed, but the tactical change to play two strikers - Chris Wood and Igor Jesus - and give Morgan Gibbs-White freedom to float and find space has unlocked something.
Obviously, Wood's return makes a huge difference. The New Zealand international's 20 league goals last season were instrumental in the Reds' success, but so too was his link-up play and understanding with the likes of Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga. Friday's win wasn't just about scoring goals, it was about identifying weaknesses and patterns in the opposition.
Nuno Espirito Santo, and Steve Cooper before him, always had a plan for each game. It is hard to argue either Ange Postecoglou or Dyche did, with both seeming to stubbornly prefer the same set-up for each game. As we come to the business-end of the season, there is still much work to be done.