According to a report in The Telegraph, Nottingham Forest are hopeful of persuading Roy Keane to join Martin O’Neill at the City Ground after the 66-year-old was confirmed as Aitor Karanka’s successor on Tuesday, but the news might not be good for everyone.
On the chalkboard
Adlene Guedioura has been a regular in the XI alongside Jack Colback when the Spaniard was in charge, but of course the arrival of the former Republic of Ireland manager should mean that everyone will start with a clean slate.
The likes of Claudio Yacob – who has filled in at centre-back in recent matches – and forgotten men Ben Watson and Liam Bridcutt could be handed a second chance that didn’t look possible with Karanka at the helm, and Guedioura will need to prove that he should continue to be one of the first names on the team-sheet for the remainder of the season.
While O’Neill is experienced and knows what he wants, he could still look to Manchester United midfield legend Keane for his expertise in that particular area, and especially with Guedioura who plays in a similar role to the one that he did so successfully throughout his career.
Should Guedioura be worried?
He should be, yes.
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While the 33-year-old has impressed at times in the centre of the park for the Championship play-off hopefuls, there are other occasions when he has dallied on the ball, given possession away too early or attempted to produce clever turns that have failed to work out.
The Algeria international will need to adapt his game if Keane arrives at the City Ground, as he will not accept any below-par displays or silly mistakes from the 6ft 1in player in what is a key area of the pitch.
The 47-year-old will want Guedioura to get stuck in and keep things simple when he is in possession of the ball, and if he doesn’t then he surely won’t be given a consistent run in O’Neill’s starting XI.
