Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has urged his team to prepare for an unpredictable encounter as they host Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground on Thursday.
Tottenham have been one of the Premier League’s most exciting teams this season, boasting a league-high 39 goals. However, their defensive frailties were exposed in a 6-3 defeat to league leaders Liverpool last weekend, making them a volatile opponent.
Forest approach the clash in strong form, sitting fourth in the table after three consecutive victories. Despite their momentum, Nuno is cautious, describing Tottenham as a team full of surprises.
Nuno Espirito Santo on facing Spurs
“You never know what’s going to happen in the game,” Nuno remarked when discussing the upcoming match.
“What we can see is good (Spurs) players, a lot of goals, also conceding goals. We analysed yesterday, it was different in terms of goals and situations.
“The result was a little bit unexpected but what we are preparing is a new game, new situations will happen and we are facing a very good game.”
Defensive solidity against Brentford
In their last outing, Forest secured a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory over Brentford, becoming the first team this season to shut out the Bees at home. Nuno fielded a back three of Morato, Murillo, and Nikola Milenkovic, a setup that proved effective and may be retained against Spurs.
Reflecting on the decision, Nuno said:
“I think it worked OK. We were good in the game. Defensively we had to be aware that Brentford were very offensive, a lot of goals and situations and one of the reasons was that.
“But before, we did it against (Manchester) City and many games before so it’s a shape the players knew, the routines were there and we decided to go with this game, let’s see.”
With Tottenham’s attacking prowess and defensive vulnerabilities, Forest will need to strike a balance between discipline at the back and creativity up front. Nuno’s tactical decisions could play a key role in determining the outcome of what promises to be a thrilling contest.