Worse than Nicolo Savona, Sean Dyche must axe flop who lost possession 15 times vs Fulham
Sean Dyche will be massively disappointed with his players after Nottingham Forest lost 1-0 to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Douglas Luiz was handed his first Premier League start since the beginning of November, but that was as far as the positives went during the Cottagers’ narrow win on Monday, 22 December.
It was the Brazilian who conceded the penalty on the night. Raul Jimenez has struggled with injuries in 2025-26, but the striker was on hand to dispatch from 12 yards to continue his fine form from the spot.
With the Reds winning just one of their last three league matches, they are now just one spot above the relegation zone, but due to West Ham struggling, there is a five-point gap still.
Safety is absolutely no guarantee for the Tricky Trees this season, but with Dyche in charge, supporters have yet to hit the panic button.
Nottingham Forest to welcome Man City to the City Ground
Next up is a very difficult clash against Pep Guardiola‘s Man City on Saturday, 27 December, and Dyche will require absolute perfection if they are to get anything out of the game at the City Ground.
Man City put three past West Ham to maintain the chase on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, and very little can stop the Citizens when they get into their highest gear.
There are several improvements to be made before the clash, not least in the full-back department, with both Neco Williams and Nicolo Savona struggling to make the desired impact.
However, far more frustrating than either of the defenders was Omari Hutchinson, who managed to lose possession a total of 15 times during his 90 minutes on the pitch [Sofascore].
Omari Hutchinson has handed Sean Dyche a major headache
More than just losing the ball, the 22-year-old winger failed to create any big chances, completed just 17 per cent of his attempted dribbles, was dribbled past three times himself, and won just nine per cent of his ground duels [FotMob].
Hitting Man City on the counter-attack will be imperative to scoring any goals this weekend, and that will not be possible if one of their most creative players is going to lose out so many times.
Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly‘s attacking tendencies do allow for a lot of room in-behind, but that cannot be taken advantage of if Hutchinson is going to throw away possession so easily.
Dilane Bakwa will be eager to prove himself to the boss after recently returning from injury, and a clash against one of the league’s biggest teams would be the perfect time for him to shine.