Nottingham Forest must stick with tactical tweak vs Sunderland, it worked wonders for Morgan Gibbs-White

Nottingham Forest are now within touching distance of Premier League survival after they beat Burnley 4-1 at the City Ground on Sunday.

Zian Flemming’s goal on the stroke of half-time saw the Reds go into the interval in a concerning position, but they rallied in eye-catching fashion in the second half.

Morgan Gibbs-White netted a 15-minute hat-trick for Vitor Pereira’s men to turn the game on its head, before Igor Jesus capped off the result by adding a fourth goal in stoppage time.

The East Midlands outfit made their quality tell in the second period, and they are now five points clear of the relegation zone heading into the final five games of the season.

Forest’s second-half explosion was sparked by a tweak in formation from Pereira at the half-time break, as he shifted away from the 4-2-3-1 formation and opted to play with two strikers.

4-4-2 switch changed everything for Nottingham Forest

The striker position has provided issues for Forest throughout the season, but with Chris Wood now back to full fitness, Pereira has many more options available to him at the top of the pitch.

The Portuguese boss began the game with Wood leading the line, and the trio of Dilane Bakwa, Gibbs-White and Omari Hutchinson playing behind him.

However, the manager pulled the trigger after a lacklustre first half, and brought Jesus on in place of Bakwa, while also shifting Gibbs-White into a left-sided role in a 4-4-2.

That switch provided the catalyst for the England hopeful to make a telling impact on the game, and Danny Murphy explained why it worked so well during his analysis on Match of the Day.

“It benefited Gibbs-White because he’s an intelligent footballer,” the former Liverpool midfielder said.

“When you’re playing against two centre-backs, and they’re occupied by two strikers, what you’ll find is that good players make runs into the space that they leave.”

Gibbs-White made excellent use of the space that was provided for him by the switch, as he yet again stepped up to produce the moments of quality that his team had otherwise been lacking.

Forest have been intent on using him in an attacking midfield role in recent weeks, but the switch to the left flank actually gave him much more breathing room to hurt Burnley.

Vitor Pereira must stick with two strikers vs Sunderland

Forest arguably just need one more win to effectively secure their Premier League status for next season, and they have the chance to do that away at Sunderland on Friday night.

With that in mind, Pereira would be foolish to deviate away from the 4-4-2 formation that changed the game for his team on Sunday, and he should be looking to spring a surprise on the Black Cats.

Regis Le Bris’ men also like to operate with a back four, which could leave the same spaces open for Gibbs-White that he was able to exploit against Burnley.

Sunderland are undoubtedly a much more fearsome proposition than the relegation strugglers, but in evenly-matched games, it can often be slight tactical alterations that make all the difference.

Pereira’s change worked wonders for Forest in their win at the weekend, and he should be looking to try and stick with it until the end of the season.

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