2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Sarah Clapson)
For most of this season, Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has stuck to a similar script. No matter the result or the Reds’ position in the standings, the Portuguese insisted the table was not something he concerned himself with. His familiar mantra revolved around taking things game by game.
That was until last week, when there was a very subtle shift from Nuno. He didn’t mention Europe or the Champions League outright, but there was an acknowledgement of where Forest found themselves. He had talked about a decisive stage of the season before, but this went a little further.
“It is in our hands,” Nuno said in his pre-match press conference as he responded to a question about England securing five Champions League places for next term. The Forest boss repeated that comment a few days later, after his team had been beaten by a stoppage-time goal at home to Everton. “It is in our hands,” Nuno said once more.
“But nobody is going to give us anything, we have to do it by ourselves. It is up to us to improve and compete much better - like we did before.” We have produced a special 48-page edition of the Nottingham Post celebrating the club’s two European Cup wins.
Nottingham Forest are flying high in the Premier League and Reds fans are dreaming of a return to European competition. It has been an outstanding campaign for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, who are on course for a place in the Champions League next season. And Forest supporters can whet their appetite for a possible return to football’s top tier on the continent with our 48-page special edition celebrating the club’s two European Cup wins.
Buy now and have it delivered directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents in Nottinghamshire from April, 2 2025. For online order postage and packaging applies, orders will be posted from April 2, 2025.
By the time the Reds kick off away to Tottenham Hotspur next Monday night (8pm kick-off), they may well have dropped a few places from their current spot of third as their rivals play before them. But although the table might look different going into that game, Forest’s approach shouldn’t change. Nuno’s players have responded well to setbacks before.
If anything, any blip has prompted them to roll their sleeves up and get back to doing what they are good at. Of course there is added pressure this time around - and it was apparent last Saturday, with plenty of anxiety around, that everyone is well aware what is at stake. But the underlying premise of what the Reds need to do is still the same.
At this stage of any season when any club has something to play for, fear is as much of an enemy as any opponent. The fear of losing or of falling short can stalk players out on the pitch. When Nuno sprinted off the City Ground touchline after Forest’s FA Cup penalty shootout win over Ipswich Town last month, it was an outburst of unmitigated joy.
There was also an element of casting off the shackles and showing his players not to carry a weight on their shoulders. The Reds’ ability to cope with the tension will be tested again in the next few weeks. If they need any reference points to show they are a steely bunch, they need only look back at that Ipswich game and their other spot-kick successes in the cup, against Exeter City and Brighton and Hove Albion.
It is not game over for Forest after back-to-back defeats in the league. Far from it. As Nuno pointed out, they are still in control of their own destiny.
The Reds have shown their character and their quality countless times this term. With no need to panic, now is the time for them to show they can handle the nerves..
