Not so long ago, Joe Worrall was on the receiving end of plenty of plaudits after helping Nottingham Forest topple Chelsea. The defender was outstanding at Stamford Bridge. His performance was even more impressive given it came just days after the death of his uncle, sergeant Graham Saville, in tragic circumstances.
After a few weeks, the tone of the comments against Worrall changed dramatically on Saturday. After the Reds’ 2-2 draw at Luton Town, the 26-year-old received a barrage of criticism.
Elijah Adebayo outmuscled Worrall for the crucial equaliser. Since then, the captain has been chastised.
He should have performed better. He would undoubtedly be the first to admit it. But the academy graduate was not the first to make a mistake at the City Ground, and he will not be the last.
The fact that the Hatters had the chance to equalise in the first place occurred after they had reduced the gap thanks to an unnecessarily given away free-kick that was inadequately defended. Meanwhile, head coach Steve Cooper’s substitutions in general have been called into question.
Worrall, on the other hand, does not deserve to be written off after that mistake. He has previously demonstrated his ability to compete at Premier League level, especially against Chelsea, and there is no reason why he cannot do so again.
