Nottingham Forest are capitalizing on successive home games before the upcoming international break. After defeating Leicester City 3-1 last Friday, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds find themselves in seventh place in the Premier League. Having achieved their first victory at the City Ground since April with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace earlier this month, Forest are focused on sustaining their positive momentum. Sarah Clapson provides insights into under-the-radar news from Trentside.
According to Ryan Yates, “Consistency in results and performances is a direct consequence of consistency in the dressing room. The Reds are reaping the rewards of transfer decisions made in the summer. We recruited well for the new season and managed to keep our star players. We’ve kept the core of our players when a few of them could have been sold. We’ve kept the quality and strength in depth in every single position. The lads off the bench have been magnificent. They’re not weakening the side one bit. It’s all signs that we’ve got an incredibly strong squad. After the win on Friday, the feel-good factor in the squad was apparent. That’s impressive.”
Despite amassing 16 points, he insists he isn’t focused on the league table. In a game refereed by Craig Pawson, a controversial moment occurred when Jamie Vardy appealed for a penalty after a perceived pull from Nikola Milenkovic. However, Pawson’s decision to dismiss the appeals was supported by Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports’ “Ref Watch”. Gallagher remarked, “Not for me,” in response to Vardy’s claims.
Chris Wood’s outstanding performance saw him net a brace against Leicester, elevating him to joint second-highest scorer in Premier League history for the Reds with 22 goals.
Wood reflected on his progress, saying, “I just want to keep scoring as many as I can. Haaland is a very formidable man and he’s probably going to score 30 goals this season. He’s a very formidable man to chase.” Alan Shearer acknowledged Wood’s contributions by featuring him in his Team of the Week, commenting, “What a season he’s having!” Shearer also named Nuno as Manager of the Week, appreciating the team’s resilience: “Big Chris still delivers. Look at the age bracket.”
Jamie Redknapp and Troy Deeney also acknowledged the consistent performance and dedication of Ryan Yates, a Nottingham Forest academy graduate, by including him in their respective XI selections. Redknapp described Yates as “a dependable player for years,” while Deeney praised his “excellent” performance.
Despite his strong form and the fact he trails Erling Haaland by only four goals in the race for the Premier League golden boot, Wood humbly expects Haaland to continue leading. Reflecting on his team’s improvements,
Wood credited head coach Nuno’s strategic adjustments: “He’s worked on that in the training pitch.”
