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'It has been a really good start'published at 16:48 7 October 2024
16:48 7 October 2024
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A Nottingham Forest related question was put to chief football writer Phil McNulty in Monday's Q&A.
Karl asked: Hi Phil. I wanted to ask, after seven games and with 10 points already on the board, do you think that Nottingham Forest are now a force to be wary of?
Phil answered: Hello, Karl. I certainly think Forest look vastly improved on last season and to win away at Liverpool, then get a very creditable draw at Chelsea illustrates that. Nuno Espirito Santo has had time to work with the team after arriving last season and the signs are there that Forest are playing in a way he liked to employ at Wolves. Namely; solid in defence, pace on the flanks and dangerous on the counter attack. It has been a really good start.
Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest - the fans' verdictpublished at 12:40 7 October 2024
12:40 7 October 2024
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
Here are some of your comments:
Chelsea fans
Pete: There will be a few complaining that Chelsea still don’t know how to break down low blocks, but Forest beat Liverpool, currently top, at their own ground just weeks ago. And a year or so ago we would have lost this fixture. Progress…
Alan: It was dull. We seem to have a couple of good games and then relax and struggle. Any decent manager would take his defence to one side on Monday and give them an ultimatum, shape up or there's the door. Nothing seems to change. Four players playing four individual games with not one leader between them. Never mind, it may or may not eventually come together.
Stu: Think we would've lost that last season. We are showing more fight and togetherness but need to learn how to break teams down that come to us and sit deep. Fernandez is a worry for me, he does nothing but earns a place in the team every week. A higher power at play?
Beno: Too many yellow cards which will come back to bite us when we play Liverpool. Jackson was rubbish. Noni needs to get his head up in the final third. Too much glory seeking and not enough team ethic from him in midfield in my opinion. Over all a very frustrating afternoon.
Forest fans
Bogey: Forest are a team developing and building. They are loving playing their football. It’s not just a job - they enjoy playing however hard the game. As a fan that’s nice to see. So, trust in Nuno and the team.
Andy: Huge point. Sels has had doubters, and maybe he could have (not should have) saved their goal, but he put all recent criticism to bed by stepping up in key moments. Neither keeper deserved to lose. If we can win at home then Forest will be more than comfortable this season.
Tom: Forest are genuinely looking like nobody's mugs. Nuno is doing a brilliant job, built on security at the back that'd make Cloughie proud. They've more than held on with 10 men on two occasions this year, and look in the right company in the Premier League. Today was a proud day for Forest. Well done lads!
Kris: What a finish! Nail biting stuff at the end, but we kept playing and could have won it with efforts from Williams and Jota. Even going down to 10 and losing Gibbs-White didn’t faze us too much. Chelsea pressed once they had the player advantage but in the end Sanchez was their saviour. You Reds!
'A lot of people said they would be in a relegation fight'published at 11:22 7 October 2024
11:22 7 October 2024
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Former England full-back Stephen Warnock believes Nottingham Forest's "pace in attack" and being "defensively sound" has helped them to a good start in the Premier League this season.
The Reds have recorded two wins, four draws and just one loss in seven games so far, with their latest result being a 1-1 draw at Chelsea.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2, Warnock said: "When you think back to the start of the season, a lot of people said that they would be in a relegation fight.
"But when you take into consideration that they have Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi - they have got real pace in attack and they can hurt you.
"Chris Wood is outstanding. It's not just his goals, he is a focal point for this team. He holds the ball up and takes pressure off the team.
"Nikola Milenkovic has made them more steady at the back as well, so they can absorb more pressure.
"So, when a team knows they are defensively sound and they have that pace in attack, they will be quite happy to sit in and then hit their opposition at the right time. They have been really clinical."
Are Forest the most advanced defensive team in the Premier League?published at 17:57 6 October 2024
17:57 6 October 2024
Nizaar Kinsella BBC Sport football news reporter
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Nottingham Forest have taken a huge leap forward under Nuno Espirito Santo this season.
That 90 minutes could be painted as an example of everything the Premier League should be - as Forest competed manfully, physically and with incredible tactical nuance at Stamford Bridge.
They were previously seen as a low block, defensive team under Steve Cooper - and in the first season under the Portuguese - but they are now able to retain possession and press higher up the pitch, while still sitting off teams when needed.
There has been an evolution that has taken them to one of the best defensive records in the league - conceding fewer than Manchester City, with their rearguard action crucial to this result.
The one-on-one defending of Ola Aina was exceptional, the two centre-backs Milenkovic and Murilo are two of the most physically imposing in the league and Sels has solved the goalkeeping problems since promotion.
Between them, they managed to handle Ward-Prowse's red card in a masterclass of defending, wasting time and counter-attacking football that led to Williams and Jota Silva going close.
Sutton's predictions: Chelsea v Nottingham Forestpublished at 11:16 6 October 2024
11:16 6 October 2024
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Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.
For week seven, he takes on Will Champion and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay, whose latest album, Moon Music, came out on Friday.
Sutton's prediction: 2-1
Chelsea are a lot easier to predict this season. I am not getting their scores right, but I am having much more joy with their results.
Being a former Chelsea player, I obviously have that connection with the current players, the same way I linked up so well with the Chelsea team I played for.
Unfortunately, I am not doing too well with Nottingham Forest this time. They drew me in, to make me believe they would get something against Fulham last week, and let me down badly.
I am not getting sucked in again. Cole Palmer, who will go down as 'the one that Manchester City let get away', is on fire at the moment, and it is as if he has got eyes in the back of his head.
I absolutely love watching him play because everything is so easy for him, and it feels like he is going to score every time he plays.
Forest will probably nick a goal, because I am not convinced with how Chelsea defend, but this is definitely a home win - I am sure of it.
Distance and sprint - which team does it best?published at 18:01 4 October 2024
18:01 4 October 2024
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
There can often be a lot of focus on distances covered and sprints made by teams, but how much of a difference does it really make to their success?
When it comes to distance covered by teams it is the 'battle of the B's' with Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford having covered the most ground in the Premier League so far this season.
At the other end of the scale, bottom side Wolves have run the least so far - 5km fewer than any other side.
Initially, I thought this could be due to how difficult their start has been (i.e. sitting deep and not rushing out against top opponents), but they actually rank mid-table in pressing stats (with no players missing via red cards either).
But, it is worth noting that running a lot does not necessarily equal success.
Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Chelsea and Aston Villa have also been the 'laziest' teams so far yet have started the season well.
It is a similar story when it comes to sprints too - some good teams sprint a lot, some good teams sprint little.
Tottenham have made the most sprints in the Premier League this campaign, followed by fellow high-pressers Liverpool and Bournemouth.
But defending champions Manchester City have made the least – 60 fewer than any other team – and yet they have been pretty good so far too.
Looking at which teams have made the most sprints – Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea – and which the fewest – City, Arsenal, Villa – it suggests that playing style plays a part in how much a team sprints as well as just work rate.
Nuno on Gibbs-White, defence and squad balancepublished at 14:35 4 October 2024
14:35 4 October 2024
Ben Ramsdale BBC Sport journalist
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea (kick-off 14:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Nuno confirmed both Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare will be out for the trip to Chelsea.
On FA charges for Evangelos Marinakis: "I'm not aware of the situation. I'm aware of the charge but I don't know many details about it."
On Morgan Gibbs-White's return from suspension: "It's very important to have him back - he's a very special player for us. [With] his talent, the team relies on him to produce things. I'm happy for him to have been called up [to England] again."
On the team's defensive strength with only five goals conceded so far this season: "It's always important, no matter who your opponent. You have to realise what strengths they have and how to control them. The team has been solid and compact but it's about teamwork. [It is] not only the defensive line and midfield, it starts with pressure from the front. It's going to be very important against Chelsea because they have good players and play good football."
On the balance of his side: "That's the big issue in football, finding the balance and what works in both boxes. We are producing a lot but we should be more clinical. I believe that we are going to improve."
He said the team "cannot ignore" Chelsea's Cole Palmer but insisted that the Forest game plan is not based on trying to stop one player.
Nuno dismissed questions on VAR: "We are trying to ignore it. For now, it is not an issue for us and let's try and keep it this way. We are always expecting the referees and VAR to make the better decisions for the game. This is our message and this is how we approach for now."
'We're not the finished article' - Elangapublished at 13:21 4 October 2024
13:21 4 October 2024
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On Sunday, Nottingham Forest face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge - the ground where Anthony Elanga scored his first goal for Forest in a 1-0 win last season.
The Sweden international is excited about returning to that corner of London and believes Forest can pull off a similar result.
"Hopefully we can go there, just be brave and believe we can go there and win," he told BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast. "I feel like we've got the players to do so.
"We respect Chelsea - they've had a great start to their season, but it's important we stick to what we know best and try to play our game. Hopefully, we can get three points."
Forest started the campaign by going five Premier League games without defeat, before losing to Fulham at the City Ground last time out.
However, Nuno's side remain unbeaten away from home and, as well as showing improved form on the road this term, they have been much more difficult to score against - only Liverpool (two) have conceded fewer than Forest in the opening weeks of the campaign.
"It's been a fairly good start to the season," Elanga added. "We've had a few games where we could have finished teams off but it's still early doors, we've still got so many more games to go and I feel like we're on a good path.
"We've done well with clean sheets so far but we can do even better. We're not the finished article - we can always improve and I feel like we will.
"We're attacking together and defending well together. The biggest game that showed that was at Liverpool [where Forest won 1-0]. We defended well and then myself and Callum [Hudson-Odoi] came off the bench and created a goal."
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest - did you know?published at 11:53 4 October 2024
11:53 4 October 2024
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No side’s Premier League games have produced more goals than Chelsea’s so far this season (22), while Nottingham Forest’s matches have seen the fewest (11).
Cartledge steps down as chairmanpublished at 17:17 1 October 2024
17:17 1 October 2024
Nick Mashiter BBC Sport football news reporter
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Nottingham Forest chairman Tom Cartledge has stepped down with immediate effect to focus on the running of his family businesses.
He will remain on the board and will be replaced by Nicholas Randall, who is reappointed as chairman having been in the position for six years after Evangelos Marinakis bought the club in 2017.
Cartledge said: “I have had an incredible experience over the last 15 months, working for the club I love and have supported all my life.
“Over the last year and a half we have taken significant steps in securing the club’s future at an expanded City Ground and I will now continue to advise the owners on the real estate strategy whilst spending more time working in my family business."
Randall added: “I would like to extend my thanks to Tom for his hard work and dedication over the past year and a half.
"During that time, it has been a privilege to have remained closely involved with the club as a member of the board, and I am delighted to resume the role of chairman today.
“I would like to thank Evangelos Marinakis and my fellow Board members for entrusting me with the position once again, and I look forward to the next exciting chapter in our history.”
'Still some trial and error this year'published at 12:44 1 October 2024
12:44 1 October 2024
Pat Riddell Fan writer
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For all Nottingham Forest’s progress this season — results, transfers, stability — it seems there is still an element of growing pains at play.
While Morgan Gibbs-White’s controversial dismissal against Brighton & Hove Albion robbed us of his presence against Fulham, it was feasible to put out a similar formation without too much tinkering in style or play.
Elliot Anderson has performed particularly well in midfield since his arrival from Newcastle, and can easily slot into the number 10 position. But with an unbeaten run of five games, and plenty of confidence in his selection, Nuno Espírito Santo opted for a 4-4-2 line-up.
Obviously it didn’t pay off. A rather disjointed, flat display was a disappointing way to end the run in front of the City Ground’s largest crowd in a decade. Similarly, while refereeing decisions made the headlines it is hard to argue they stopped us scoring. And while we were bound to underperform and/or lose at some point, it does prompt a few questions.
Should we be confident enough to play the same way every game? Should we be more threatening and attacking at home? And how pay much attention should we pay to the opposition?
Well, from a low-block and playing-on-the-break in a relegation-surviving season to the aim of greater possession and a more expansive gameplan in a (hopefully) Premier League established period… where does the balance lie?
Evidently, somewhere in between. Nuno masterminded the Reds’ first victory at Anfield in a generation (or two) and he’s got enough credit in the bank to be trying things. And clearly, at this early stage of the season, there are still new players and new ideas that are yet to quite settle in.
Chelsea away this Sunday might not be the time to be asking such questions, but it feels like there is still some trial and error this year as Forest continue to find their feet.
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