After Nottingham Forest’s 3-2 loss to Brighton on Saturday, Garry Birtles was not very fond of Ola Aina.
The Reds dropped to 15th place in the Premier League after losing their third straight game.
Forest managed to pass Anthony Elanga, but they lost 3-1 as they appeared to press the self-destruct button once more.
As Forest lost just before halftime, Birtles, who was covering the match for Premier League Productions, didn’t think Aina had done himself any favors.
Birtles unhappy with Forest star Aina
Joao Pedro, who had replaced Ansu Fati in the Seagulls lineup, scored the team’s second goal with an incredible header.
Birtles mentioned Forest defender Aina as the guy in the firing line, although the heading was decent, but the defense was atrocious.
“Steve Cooper must be pulling his hair out again,” he said on the Garibaldi Red podcast. We didn’t shut him down for the first goal. Take a look at Lewis Dunk; his ability to deny opportunities was outstanding.
“The second, I realize is a nice header from a long way out, but how is the defense doing? Aina and he are both on the incorrect side of the ball. Who is going to put an end to him because of his lack of focus and the cross?
Aina makes mistake but he’s been largely impressive
The 27-year-old didn’t cover himself in glory on Saturday when he gave Pedro a clear header to give the Seagulls the lead.
Give credit where credit is due, though: ever since arriving at Forest, Aina has been mainly impressive during the game.
Aina filled in on the left side during the first 13 games of the season, but he has recently been playing as a right-back for Forest.
In the summer, he joined the team for free from Torino. In light of this, he has shown himself to be a true gem, and more is still to come.
It is unlikely that Aina would linger too long on Saturday’s defeat, or even on his own mistake that led to Forest’s second goal.
His sole attention will be directed towards taking against Everton this coming weekend and attempting to record another victory.
