Nottingham Forest are celebrating Christmas in style, sitting in an impressive fourth place in the Premier League. The club is enjoying a remarkable turnaround, thanks to the efforts of head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
The first four months of the 2024/25 season have seen Espirito Santo transform the perception of the Reds.
Many pundits had predicted Forest would be relegation fodder, with even Gary Lineker reconsidering his earlier doubts about their chances.
Robbie Earle also misjudged Forest’s potential before the season began, joining a host of analysts in underestimating the club. Now, with the team firing on all cylinders, Forest look comfortably safe from relegation long before the festive season concludes.
Alan Shearer’s praise for Nuno Espirito Santo’s impact:
The Forest boss has reaped the rewards of a full pre-season, allowing him to shape the squad and establish a clear identity at the City Ground. Joining midway through last season brought its challenges, but Espirito Santo has quickly steadied the ship.
Following Forest’s 2-0 victory over Brentford on Saturday, Alan Shearer highlighted what has stood out about Espirito Santo’s approach this season. Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Shearer said:
“For them to go there and do what they did, Nuno has this style, they’re not bothered about the opposition having the ball and in fact, they’re quite happy when that happens if you look at the possession stats.
“Their recruitment has been excellent, they’ve got pace, they can hit you, they can be direct and they can go at times really, really quickly and that’s what they’re good at.”
Nuno’s tactical acumen and effective player recruitment have turned Forest into a team capable of not only surviving in the Premier League but thriving.
With the squad’s ability to counterattack at speed and their disciplined defensive structure, Forest are proving to be one of the league’s most exciting surprises this season.