The City Ground, Notthingham, Britain - November 5, 2022. Brentford's goalkeeper coach Manu Sotelo clashes with a groundsman.
Nottingham Forest journalist Paul Taylor has reacted to the ‘pre-match tension’ before the Reds’ Premier League game against Brentford on Saturday.
The Lowdown: Tempers flare in the warm-up
The Garibaldi played out a 2-2 draw against Thomas Frank’s side at the City Ground over the weekend, although tempers flared on the field before the ball had even been kicked.
The Bees’ goalkeeping coach Manu Sotelo was conducting drills with his team’s shot-stoppers in the penalty area and was unexpectedly approached by a club groundsman.
Frank admitted during his post-match interview that he was ‘surprised’ by the incident and that his staff member had suffered an injury as a result of the altercation.
The Latest: Taylor’s reaction
Taking to Twitter, Taylor reacted to that flashpoint and revealed Forest’s stance on the situation.
He wrote: “This was all a bit odd… #NFFC are adamant that no Forest staff were at fault here. But there was a bit of pre-match tension at the CG today.”
The Verdict: Unnecessary distraction
Forest have already launched an official investigation into the incident and are awaiting referee Andre Marriner’s report, but it’s important that Steve Cooper’s side address their on-field issues rather than getting distracted by such flashpoints.
The Reds are currently bottom of the table after recording just two wins from their opening 14 games and are the division’s second-lowest scoring team (Premier League).
Will Forest get relegated this season?
Yes
No
Nonetheless, they only require one win to get out of the relegation zone as things stand, and with Crystal Palace the visitors to the City Ground for their final game before the World Cup break, this could be the perfect opportunity for Forest to capitalise.
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