Nottingham Forest boss Aitor Karanka warns his players they must improve
Forest drew 2-2 with Birmingham at the City Ground
Saturday 25 August 2018 22:42, UK
Aitor Karanka has warned his Nottingham Forest players they must improve after coming from two goals behind to rescue a point against Birmingham at the City Ground.
Karanka's side looked dead and buried after goals from Lukas Jutkiewicz and substitute Che Adams had powered the Blues into a 2-0 lead with 18 minutes left to play.
But Garry Monk's wait for a win will drag on, as draw specialists Forest secured a point thanks to a 75th-minute strike from substitute Joe Lolley and a poacher's finish from Daryl Murphy, three minutes from the end.
Despite salvaging a point, Karanka was unimpressed by his team's performance, telling Sky Sports: "I said before the game that it should be a reflection of what we've been doing at the training ground, but the first half was a really bad reflection.
"I'm disappointed because we can't keep fooling ourselves by saying we're unbeaten, coming back every game. We need to improve a lot and play much better. We need to be more aggressive and start quicker. We can't keep fooling ourselves.
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"We had all week to prepare this game and we were confident but the first half was awful for us. We didn't play in our style and we played into their hands. We have to keep learning and to keep improving."
Forest remain 13th in the Championship after a fourth draw from their five opening league games, while Birmingham's search for an opening win of the season goes on with Garry Monk's side in 20th place.
Lolley's introduction turned the game on its head with the midfielder, celebrating his 25th birthday, drove past Lee Camp within seconds of entering the pitch.
Karanka added: "We needed something on the pitch and we changed the shape. We have to keep working and improving because in this way, it's impossible that we won't lose a game.
"I don't like excuses, so we have to pick the best 11 every single match. The players are giving me more reason to change the team."
