Nottingham Forest’s impressive evolution could make them even bigger contenders
Shock ascents into European contendership are usually followed by a slide back down the table. Last season’s surprise package Nottingham Forest have started the new campaign with a statement that they do not want the same to happen to them.
Forest were so good on the counter-attack last season that an attempt to play any other way felt foolhardy, and often proved to be so. Being one-dimensional is fine as long as it keeps getting you results, and Forest’s drop-off in performances and form looked far more like it was down to that squad having already given everything they had and simply running out of legs.
Other sides getting savvy to their style and making tactical adjustments to suit didn’t help either. In half of their Premier League games last season, Forest had 40% possession or less and took 2.26 points per game. In the other half, with 41% possession or more, their record was almost exactly half as good at just 1.16 points per game.
From January onwards, more and more sides were happy to just let Forest have the ball, knowing it was like giving a spinning wheel to a mule.
Fans were concerned by Forest’s lack of goals in their pre-season friendlies, but seeing them here against Brentford, it seems that may have been the last thing they were interested in. Aside from allowing his players a well-earned break, the priority for Nuno Espirito Santo this summer was obvious: get his side more comfortable with having the ball, and show them how to use it more proactively.
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Right from the beginning, Forest put all that work into practice; they were completely dominant over hapless Brentford. Chris Wood’s early opener came from a set piece, and it was a surprise that it took until the 42nd minute for them to double their lead, with Dan Ndoye heading home Morgan Gibbs-White’s delicious cross for a debut goal.
The clarity of purpose Forest showed in midfield was the most striking difference. Ibrahim Sangare sat back to provide a massive and (silly/unfortunate handball penalty concession aside) largely dependable platform for the still-brilliant Gibbs-White and the newly-progressive Elliot Anderson, who offered far more to Forest’s attacking play than we have seen before despite playing in a deeper role in the build-up
Anderson would start moves off in his own half before getting forward, untracked, to join Gibbs-White in attack. The pair took turns playing off each other to make runs into the box and stretch a flummoxed Brentford defence. Anderson’s fabulous defence-splitting pass from halfway for an already-sprinting Wood to put Forest 3-0 up was a richly-deserved assist for the 22 year old.
Brentford were a popular pick for relegation in this season’s F365 predictions, and the fears that the Bees would struggle after losing Thomas Frank and so many of their best players look to be well-founded on this evidence. Keith Andrews’ side made it all look so easy for Forest.
But even with such generous opposition in front of them, we doubt whether Forest would have looked quite this impressively comfortable dominating a game like this last season. Even their 7-0 win over Brighton came with just 38% possession, their 4-2 win over lowly Ipswich with just 45%, their 3-1 win over equally wretched Leicester with just 35%, their 3-2 win over cack Manchester United with just 29%.
That’s not to say that winning this way is inherently better – but if Forest can look this good playing this way and continue to pose a considerable counter-attacking threat when required, they should win a much greater variety of games than they did last term.
That could make them genuine European contenders once again, and help ensure last season was no one-off.