Not just Victor: Ange must drop 5/10 Nottingham Forest star after Swansea

Nottingham Forest fell to an embarrassing late collapse against Swansea City last night, losing by a 3-2 scoreline and exiting the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle.

Igor Jesus put Ange Postecoglou’s side two goals ahead at the break, looking almost certain to secure a place in round four after an impressive first-half showing.

However, Cameroon Burgess’ 68th minute goal gave the hosts a glimmer of hope – something which they grabbed with both hands in stoppage time.

Zan Vipotnik scored off the bench, before the centre-back netted his second goal of the encounter in the 97th minute – completing what seemed like an unexpected but remarkable turnaround.

The Aussie made 10 changes for the clash in South Wales, but still had a strong enough side to claim victory against a side plying their trade in the division below.

However, it could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the new boss, giving him the opportunity to see what players aren’t up to the level he requires for future success.

John Victor’s debut to forget against Swansea

After signing from Botafogo during the summer transfer window, goalkeeper John Victor was handed his Forest debut in the League Cup clash last night.

Whilst he demonstrated the ability to play out from the back in the opening stages, it would rapidly go downhill in the second 45 for the 29-year-old shot-stopper.

He only made one save during his 90-minute performance, but it was what he didn’t save that will have disappointed Postecoglou and the Reds faithful.

The Brazilian was unable to keep out Burgess’ header, before being caught in no man’s land for the Swans’ second effort – resulting in an xG prevented of -2.30.

Victor also misplaced nine of his passes in the meeting, undoubtedly coming in the latter stages of the contest after the hosts tried to push on and complete the comeback.

Despite the showing from the debutant, one other first-team member failed to impress, with the manager desperately needing to drop him from his squad in the coming weeks.

The Forest player who needs to be axed by Postecoglou

Since promotion back to the Premier League back in the summer of 2022, Forest have been renowned for huge amounts of business in the transfer market.

From big-money sales like Anthony Elanga to big wage additions like Jesse Lingard, the Reds truly have seen a stupendous turnover in first team talent.

Huge money has also been spent in the process, undoubtedly aiding the club’s ability to qualify for the Europa League and handing a generation of supporters memories to last a lifetime.

However, despite all the activity, academy graduate Ryan Yates has managed to maintain his place within the first-team squad, with the 27-year-old now nearing 250 appearances for the club.

He was handed a start with the captain’s armband by Postecoglou last night, but it now remains to be seen how much of an impact he’ll have under the new boss after his showing in Wales.

The Englishman featured for the entirety of the defeat, completing 81% of the passes he attempted – subsequently losing possession a staggering 16 times.

He also committed four fouls and only managed to win four of the 11 duels he entered – looking way out of his depth against Alan Sheehan’s men despite the hosts being a division below.

Yates’ dismal showing was further highlighted in his tally of just one tackle won, whilst also being dribbled past twice, numbers which simply aren’t up to the standard of a ball-winning option in Ange’s intense system.

To compound the midfielder’s misery, he was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by Nottingham Post journalist Sarah Clapson – the joint-lowest of any player who started the defeat.

There’s no taking away Yatesy’s guts and passion to succeed with Forest, but it’s evident that he’s no longer at the level needed, especially given the arrivals of players such as Douglas Luiz.

Postecoglou will no doubt need to address such a performance, subsequently needing to drop Victor and Yates for the Reds’ crucial clash with Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

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