Pundit outlines key Sheffield United area for improvement ahead of Nottingham Forest second leg | OneFootball

Former Sheffield United midfielder Michael Brown has instructed the Blades not to be as open in the second leg as they were in the first against Nottingham Forest, speaking on Sky Sports.

Although the South Yorkshire outfit had the home advantage in the first leg, something they would have been keen to capitalise on considering they had only lost one game under Paul Heckingbottom at Bramall Lane prior to last weekend’s loss, they were carved apart far too easily in the first half by the Reds.

In fact, they were lucky they only conceded once in the opening 45, with Sam Surridge, Brennan Johnson and Ryan Yates all having good chances to put the tie beyond doubt, a real wake-up call for Saturday’s hosts going into this tie.

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Although they managed to improve in the second half, a mistake from John Egan allowed Joe Lolley to charge forward and place an inch-perfect pass into the path of Johnson who made no mistake as he put Forest 2-0 up.

The home side did manage to give themselves hope of getting back into the tie though with Sander Berge guiding the ball home from close range to set up what could be an exciting Tuesday evening of football at the City Ground.

Despite their need to push forward in their quest to overturn the current deficit, Brown believes they mustn’t be as open at the back when they travel to the East Midlands.

He said on Sky Sports (via Yorkshire Live): “We talked at half-time about what to do differently in the second half and they moved the ball around and possession was good.

“Straight away, they put Forest on the back foot and were able to control the game, but what they’ve got to do when they’re in those situations (is show) a little bit more composure.

“I think it’s going to be needed away (at Forest). It’s going to be a hostile atmosphere on Tuesday.

“I think it’s all about controlling (the game) and waiting for opportunities, not to be far too open like they were here in the first half.”

Heckingbottom has a real dilemma on his hands here because he will want his side to attack from the first whistle and that may be something the Blades need to do if they are to get themselves back in the tie.

It may also unsettle Forest who may not be expecting such a front-foot performance away from home by United – and it’s in the latter’s DNA to play attacking football so they may decide to stick with what they know tomorrow.

However, Forest may thrive if they find holes in the Blades’ defence and you would certainly back them to be more clinical if they manage to create a similar number of opportunities, potentially putting the tie to bed by half-time.

That would be the last thing the South Yorkshire side would want considering they have the ability to create an uneasy atmosphere for the hosts if they can remain solid at the back and keep out the likes of Surridge, Johnson and the returning Keinan Davis.

This is why adopting a more defensive approach and counter-attacking may be the best possible option at this stage, especially with the likes of Egan, Chris Basham and Jack Robinson all very capable centre-backs.