If you’ve been following the Premier League lately, you might have noticed that the mood is high at Nottingham Forest, who sit third in the standings under Nuno Espírito Santo.
Forest found major success in the 70s and 80s under Brian Clough, winning two European Cups (now the Champions League) amongst a host of domestic trophies, but were relegated in 1999, remaining outside of the top flight until winning promotion in 2022. After a 23-year hiatus the club failed to climb the table, escaping relegation last season (on the final day) with the lowest ever points tally for a non-relegated team (32).
So, what has changed in less than a year to get Forest from the brink of relegation to where they are now? Striker Chris Wood has been talismanic in front of goal, scoring 17 goals so far, his highest in a Premier League season. He’s supported well by wingers like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga, who particularly excel on the counterattack.
Forest have also picked up a league-leading ten clean sheets so far, thanks to defensive players such Nikola Milenković, who signed from Fiorentina last July. Compared to the record 22 signings after promotion in 2022, the club has recently followed a subtler transfer policy, and it seems to be paying off. Initially tipped for relegation, Forest’s run of form this season has even invited questions of a title chance. After a 5-0 loss to an impressive Bournemouth team, they bounced back by knocking seven past Brighton last week, and they aren’t burdened with European competition, either.
However, league leaders Liverpool remain strong favourites, and Forest are overachieving compared to their performance metrics. Even so, European competition is within reach, and the next task will be to maintain that position in the seasons to come. If they can do that, we might just see Nottingham Forest back where they used to be.
Photo credits: “Nottingham Forest FC” by Dark Dwarf is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.