Three decisions Sean Dyche got wrong in Nottingham Forest’s draw vs Man United
Nottingham Forest grabbed a point from a close match with Man United as Sean Dyche got his first set of Premier League points in his tenure at the club.
Following his 2-0 league debut defeat to Bournemouth, the former Everton boss restored some faith in his abilities with a hard earned draw against the Red Devils.
Dyche‘s underperformance had opened up suggestions Marco Silva could still become Nottingham Forest manager one day.
Yet, owner Evangelos Marinakis will likely give the Englishman more time, as Football Insider review what he got wrong against United that could’ve altered the final 2-2 result.
Dyche foolish to trust in Igor Jesus so much so early on
With Dyche favourite Chris Wood still out with injury, the manager turned once again to the young Brazilian to lead the line.
However, Igor Jesus failed to make an impact before being hooked off on the 78th minute, showing his lack of maturity up top.
His shot map, as demonstrated by Football Insider’s data partnership with Opta, highlights how he snatched at opportunities, failing to hit the target with any of his three shots during the game.
The ex-Burnley boss perhaps needs to lower his expectations of the 24-year-old who is still honing his craft.
Set-pieces continue to trouble Nottingham Forest
Having conceded a bizarre corner goal from Marcus Tavernier against Bournemouth on 26 October, the Garibaldi were undermined once again from set-pieces.
Casemiro tucked in Bruno Fernandes’ corner in the 34th minute, as Forest looked all over the place and unable to track his run.
This weakness is a worrying concern for Dyche who, by setting up without the physical presence of giants such as Ibrahima Sangare and Morato, is losing the aerial advantage to cope better with set-pieces.
Douglas Luiz suffers injury as Dyche unwilling to rotate
Juventus loanee Douglas Luiz was forced off in the 14th minute after appearing to clutch at his hamstring.
The Brazilian had been slowly becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet, competing both in Europa League and the Premier League.
However, the injury could certainly be down to his lack of game time the previous campaign in Italy where he only played for 841 minutes.
Dyche should’ve been more cautious in constantly playing the 27-year-old, instead opting to ease him in gently after a stop-start 2024-25 campaign.