Nottingham Forest trio step up for Tuchel as Wolves star offers Amorim unlikely Man Utd solution

Nottingham Forest were devastating on the counter-attack again with three English players impressing in full view of Thomas Tuchel, and we can’t watch any wing-back without thinking Manchester United should sign them. 

Thomas Tuchel will have felt justified in his decision to travel to Molineux after just seven minutes when the uncapped Elliot Anderson played a sublime disguised pass through Wolves’ midfield to twice-capped Morgan Gibbs-White, who ran from halfway before exchanging passes with Anthony Elanga (unfortunately Swedish, but you can’t have everything) and passing the ball into the corner with an efficiency Joshua Zirkzee and Harry Maguire could have done with in the very same position against Liverpool on Sunday.

By half-time the England manager will have been pondering whether he has space enough for three Nottingham Forest players in his squad for the March internationals. Callum Hudson-Odoi had just skinned Matt Doherty to set up Chris Wood (very unfortunately a Kiwi) for his 12th goal of the season.

Wolves created some great chances, with Jorgen Strand Larsen somehow contriving not to score with one shot blocked on the line by Murillo and a point-blank header aimed straight at Matz Sels, but Forest continued on their seemingly unstoppable push for Champions League qualification courtesy of their devastating and absurdly efficient counter-attacking. It really is something.

Tom Cairney – clearly a smart fella, by the way – said in the studio ahead of the game that it felt as though Nuno Espirito Santo’s side “didn’t want the ball” when Fulham played them back in September. That’s just one of four Premier League games Forest have lost with this anti-possession style, with this victory – a Brian Clough-usurping six on the bounce – exemplifying their typical sucker punch.

Elanga and Hudson-Odoi were electric, combining direct running with excellent decision-making to make the difference when it counts, while Gibbs-White buzzed about between them and Wood stood stoically up top until the killer moment when he comes alive to steal the yard or two on defenders necessary to score.

Nuno won’t be happy with the defending. Another clean sheet – their ninth of the season – but they lacked their usual control of proceedings without the ball in the first half. Sels was a busy boy and Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic looked rather more shaky as a duo than they have perhaps at any other point this season.

Credit to Wolves for that and new manager Vitor Pereira, who’s making a mockery of Gary O’Neil’s consistent complaints about not having the resources to compete at this level, with one underused player in particular catching the eye.

It was Rodrigo Gomes’ touch and fierce volley having dashed in from his left wing-back position that initiated the Who On Earth Is That? query not unusual when attempting to distinguish between Wolves players hailing from Portugal.

This one was signed in the summer from SC Braga for around £12m after Wolves fought off competition from Atletico Madrid to land a guy tipped to be the replacement for Pedro Neto.

There’s certainly a similar gait, speed and fleet of foot to Gomes, who having caused Ola Aina significant problems while raiding down the left, swinging in brilliant crosses with both his left and right foot, then switched to the other side to test Nico Williams’ mettle.

While not quite so effective on that side, possibly because Forest had shrunk further into their shell by that point, Gomes looked equally comfortable given what is his very apparent two-footedness.

Wolves fans won’t thank us for this given this is just the fifth time they’ve seen Gomes start a Premier League game for them, but we now can’t watch any wing-back in the top flight without thinking Manchester United should sign them to play in Amorim’s 3-4-3.

United desperately need wing-backs on both sides and having reportedly botched the potential signing of the actual Pedro Neto in the summer they could sign his Wolves replacement before anyone really realises he’s his Wolves replacement, at a point when they could presumably land him for a fee that suits their limited budget. Just a thought.

Anyway, back to Forest and their 40 bloody points from 20 games. No team has ever failed to qualify for the Champions League from that position and a win over Liverpool next time out will mean we have no choice but to consider them title challengers. Incredible.

Taiwo Awoniyi was absolutely delighted to seal the deal having come off the bench after yet another counter-attack, with Hudson-Odoi again playing a huge role for a team we keep thinking will reach a ceiling through their style this season, but just keep winning games of football. They’re loving it and so are we.