“He scares me alot”- Theo Walcott says Nottingham Forest have a player who really ‘scarez’ and ‘terrifies’ him
Nottingham Forest may not be in the best of form, but Theo Walcott still thinks one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s men has been a revelation this season.
As Forest’s Champions League chances start to slip, it’s becoming harder to put into perspective that Espirito Santo’s side have still had a brilliant campaign.
Only goal difference is keeping them out of the Champions League spots behind Chelsea, which won’t be helped on Sunday as Arne Slot will rotate his Liverpool side against Chelsea to give Forest’s rivals a boost.
Forest stars have featured in the Team of the Season, but one in particular has caught the eye of Walcott, who has admitted he would be terrified to come up against him.
Theo Walcott admits that Murillo ‘terrifies’ him
Like most of his teammates, Murillo struggled against Brentford, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has been a revelation this season, completely catching those away from the City Ground off guard.
One of those is ex-Arsenal forward Walcott, who has spoken on the Premier League’s ‘Rising Stars’ show about a unique trait the Brazilian defender shows.
Walcott said: “You know, he [Murillo] scares me, terrifies me! Not just the way his stature is […], but what he does for me, which is great, is he exposes forwards by actually making them make decisions quickly because he comes at you.
“He really goes against the norm for defenders, because normally defenders back away, but I’m always one of those people who, if I’m watching games on TV, I’m like: ‘No, you need to go and get out to these forwards.’ […] It’s a really interesting art of defending but it works for him.”
This aggressive style can sometimes go against Murillo, but his stats this season back the fact that more often than not, it works in his favour.
Murillo’s defensive ‘art’ is shown in his Nottingham Forest stats
Murillo signed a new Forest contract in January, which would’ve brought huge relief to everyone involved at the club, given that the endless praise he receives is only serving to increase his transfer value.
Chelsea have shown interest in Murillo amongst others, and with his aggressive style of defending, he could be a real asset to any side.
With a high number of both interceptions and tackles won, Murillo is clearly willing to step forward and claim the ball when, as a centre back, he could be excused for being more passive.
This then allows the 22-year-old to truly shine on the ball, being in positions to dribble with the ball and even create chances for his teammates, all because he was brave enough to be aggressive.
Sure, there will be times when this leaves Forest open in the space he vacates, but Forest slapped a world-record price tag on Murillo for a reason, and this unique style is a part of it.
