Sean Dyche made it abundantly clear where his and Nottingham Forest's priorities lie when team-sheets were exchanged ahead of this one.

Wholesale changes - seven in total - with an eye on a hugely important league game at the City Ground versus Leeds United on Sunday said it all. The extremely low quality 0-0 that followed was no surprise to anyone.

Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi, their two star men against Manchester United, were two of those seven changes to the starting XI versus Sturm Graz.

Mats Sels, Murillo, Douglas Luiz, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus also came out. The result was a disjointed and unfit second string underscoring just how much work Dyche has ahead of him to get this group competitive on all fronts.

CONDITIONING CONCERNS

On a night where Forest missed a penalty and rattled the crossbar, the biggest talking point was the poor levels of conditioning of Forest's periphery players.

This was Arnaud Kalimuendo's first start for the club after getting just one minute total of action in October.

It was the first time since September 27 that James McAtee got on the pitch, while Nicolas Dominguez got just his third appearance of the campaign.

Kalimuendo struggled, managing an Expected Goals (xG) of just 0.08 off the single shot he managed in 80 minutes. 

It was, in the opinion of commentator Martin Keown, a 'red flag' when Kalimuendo went down with cramp and looked over to the bench to put him out of his misery by taking him off. McAtee, too, saw his body break down and was forced off.

European football alongside a relegation battle means Dyche needs to be able to call on everyone.

What he saw in Austria was a group of players in desperate need of a fitness boot-camp. Without that, Forest don't have a chance of juggling both competitions.

THE MORGAN RIDDLE

There was palpable relief on the Forest bench when they were able to see Morgan Gibbs-White come through unscathed and come off after 77 minutes.

But the truth is, Gibbs-White's form is nowhere near good enough right now. His missed penalty here, a poor spot-kick saved with ease, was the tip of the iceberg.

Gibbs-White should have been the best player on the pitch. Instead he produced a display that left too much to be desired in work-rate as well as production.

One shot, one chance created, just four touches in the opposition box, and just six passes played into the final third as both the No 10 and leader of this team. It is miles off what is required.

Solving the Gibbs-White riddle is as crucial going forward for Dyche as it is him whipping his fringe players into shape.