79% pass completion rate: The Nottingham Forest man who showed he can do it all against Blackpool

Steve Cooper’s side were dominant against an in-form Blackpool side as they earned a comfortable 4-1 win at Bloomfield Road.

Forest remain outside the top six despite the result, but the gap to sixth place Blackburn Rovers is now only one point.

The Reds also have three games in hand on Tony Mowbray’s men, giving them a great position to get into the play-off places.

Cooper will be delighted to have secured such a comfortable victory over a side with play-off ambitions of their own in Blackpool.

In particular, it was the performance of James Garner that stood out on a day of some great individual displays for Forest.

While it was Brennan Johnson who claimed the headlines with his two goals and one assists, the forward only completed an hour of the action and was not too involved in the rest of Forest’s build-up play.

Looking at the deeper stats, courtesy of Sofascore, gives a great appreciation for the role Garner played in Forest’s win on Saturday.

Garner was involved across the pitch for Forest, helping out in the build-up play and in defence. 

Garner was extremely effective in possession, completing three key passes.

The Manchester United loanee completed 22 of his 28 passes overall for 79 per cent completion. 

That includes a 75 per cent cross completion rate, finding his man with three of his four attempts. 

Garner even attempted a shot on target, proving himself to be a goal threat as well as a creator. 

Defensively, Garner contributed five interceptions from the heart of Forest’s midfield.

The 21-year old also made one tackle, one clearance and blocked one shot as he got involved in all aspects of the game. 

This is what a top box to box midfielder will need to be able to do to make it at the highest level, as