Nottingham Forest shocker who completed just two passes vs Wolves will guarantee relegation
Lorenzo Lucca put in a dreadful full debut showing as Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 with Wolves on Wednesday night.
Nottingham Forest signed Lucca from Napoli on loan with an option to buy in January, with that clause reportedly worth around £35million.
The striker was only signed by the Serie A champions last summer, but Antonio Conte‘s side have been keen to shift him on.
Lucca scored his first goal on debut as Nottingham Forest lost 3-1 to Leeds United last week, but there was little sign of any confidence flowing through him on Wednesday.
Nottingham Forest are fighting relegation from the Premier League, and will need to produce far better performances for what remains of the season.
Lorenzo Lucca has a disastrous game against Wolves
Nottingham Forest were on the front foot against Wolves from the get-go on Wednesday night, and really looked the only team likely to score in the first half.
When the visitors did go forward, they were sloppy, and struggled against the relentless press of Sean Dyche’s team.
| Nottingham Forest | Match stats | Wolves |
| 62% | Possession | 38% |
| 35 | Shots | 7 |
| 10 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 2.71 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.39 |
| 8 | Corners | 2 |
Lucca was part of that, but it was his contributions on the ball which may leave some Nottingham Forest fans concerned.
A breakthrough midway through the first half saw the home side find themselves, unbelievably, in a six-on-one scenario, with Callum Hudson-Odoi carrying the ball.
The winger eventually opted to cut back for Lucca, but the big striker was off balance as he hit it, smashing the ball well into the stands and away from Jose Sa’s goal.
Just minutes later, the Italian would have a chance to redeem himself, but his flicked effort from a cross drifted wide again.
Whether for a lack of understanding or a lack of effort, Lucca was constantly not in the right place as Nottingham Forest winger sent ball after ball into the box.
As he was taken off in the 71st minute, there was even a suggestion that his teammates had been reluctant to even pass to him.
Nottingham Forest desperately miss Chris Wood
Lucca’s performance on Wednesday was one that lacked everything Nottingham Forest got from Chris Wood last season.
The striker completed just two passes throughout his 71 minutes on the pitch, and failed to get either of his shots on target.
He had just two touches in Wolves’ box, and was essentially just taking up space for much of his time on the pitch.
That could never be said of Wood, but Nottingham Forest will be without him for the foreseeable future.
Dyche will hope that Lucca’s performance is not a sign of things to come, although the early indicators are not good for hopes of safety at the City Ground.