Charlton defender Naby Sarr praises team effort after his fine assist during win at Nottingham Forest
BY LOUIS MENDEZ
You never know what you are going to get from Naby Sarr.
The 6ft4 Charlton defender can go from the sublime to the ridiculous in an almost an instant.
That is exactly what happened in just two first-half minutes during the South Londoners’ impressive win at promotion-chasing Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening.
The Senegalese international’s magnificent interception and cross led to Lyle Taylor scoring the only goal of the game, although he was given a massive let off soon after as his sliced clearance headed straight for his own goal – only for Dillon Phillips to react well to turn it onto the crossbar.
“I’ve tried to clear it but I was lucky today,” admitted Sarr afterwards.
“It could have been in. But today, everything was in my favour.
“I’m happy [with the assist]. I just wanted to put it into a good area and Lyle was there. Today, I’m happy. I’m happy I helped the team.
“I think that was a great team performance. Everyone dug deep to keep that clean sheet. Everyone was putting their body on their line. We tried to play as well when it was on. Overall, that was a great team performance.
“Everyone knows what we’re capable of. We have some bodies back now, so we’re stronger. This league is very difficult. It’s not going to be easy every weekend. With the team we have and the quality we have, we don’t have to be afraid of any team. [Forest] are top six in the league and we did well against them. We should be confident of what we can do and keep going.
“We all know what we’re capable of and the quality we have because we see it every week in training. If you put the attitude and the togetherness, I think we can beat anyone in this league. We just have to be confident.”
Tuesday’s resolute display at the City Ground was the polar opposite to the performance at Stoke three days pervious. The 3-1 defeat at the bet365 Stadium had left Charlton hovering just four points above the Championship drop zone – although that gap widened to six points after the midweek fixtures.
“I think tonight we were more on the front foot,” added Sarr.
“Maybe on Saturday, we were sitting and inviting the pressure. Tonight, everyone was on the front foot and we were getting the ball back in great areas. I think maybe that was the difference today.
“We keep an eye on the table but the main thing is that we just want to play to win every game. That’s the most important. If you play to win the games, of course you’ll grab points and climb the table. So, we play to win every game
“With a win like tonight, the confidence is building. We have to build on this one to go forward.”
PHOTOS: KYLE ANDREWS
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Great performance against Forest. The direct opposite of the dismal showing against our relegation rivals Stoke City. We now have our top players back from injury and could give any Championship team a run for the money but……….. do we have the confidence ? If we stay back and give the midfield to our opponents we will lose. If we have the confidence to take the fight to our opponents we certainly have the ability to win any game