Why are Forest so good this season - and can it last?

Are Nottingham Forest showing signs of 'doing a Leicester 2016'?

Hang on, perceive america retired first...

The wide representation is this:

Forest's hunt for a caller striker to enactment and situation Wood yet failed arsenic Eddie Nketiah joined Crystal Palace from Arsenal and PSV striker Santiago Gimenez remained astatine the Philips Stadium.

"In the transportation model we were looking for galore options that could assistance us. The main happening was we looked for idiosyncratic who could amended america and idiosyncratic who wanted to beryllium with us. These 2 things are precise important," said Nuno, tellingly, successful September.

It looked they would beryllium abbreviated up beforehand but Wood's electrical commencement has neutralised immoderate fears.

Nuno has refused to tread softly with Wood, particularly aft planetary duty, saying the striker is simply a "competitor" and volition ever beryllium ready.

While Wood has scored the goals, the absorption volition ever item that their foundations commencement successful defence and Matz Sels - having go the undisputed fig 1 - has kept the joint-most cleanable sheets, with Andre Onana, successful the Premier League this season.

The accomplishment of Nikola Milenkovic from Fiorentina - for a small little than the reported £12m - has already looked a bargain and helium has formed an awesome concern with Brazilian Murillo astatine the back.

It is excessively simplistic to accidental the large antheral astatine the backmost and the large antheral astatine the beforehand person Forest ticking - but it is decidedly working.

While it looks similar Forest person evolved rapidly from the broadside which finished 17th past season, pursuing a four-point deduction, 7 of the players from Saturday's 3-0 triumph implicit West Ham started the last time triumph astatine Burnley past term.

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo had the luxury of a pre-season this year, and portion the nine added conscionable six elder signings successful the summer, defender Milenkovic and midfielder Elliot Anderson instantly upped the first-team quality.

Indeed, that comparatively calm model was a alteration from the summertime of 2022 erstwhile Forest signed a then-record 22 players pursuing promotion.

It has been evolution, not revolution, astatine the City Ground but portion determination person been tweaks successful the past 11 months since Nuno replaced Steve Cooper, they person moved connected rapidly from 2 years ago.

In Forest's 1-0 triumph implicit Crystal Palace past month, with Morgan Gibbs-White suspended, conscionable 1 subordinate signed during that 2022 spending spree started - and that was goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who was playing for the opposition.

There was an statement astatine the commencement of the play the nine needed a run of anonymity, a mid-table decorativeness to debar the spotlight pursuing 2 seasons of struggle, contention and chaos.

A points deduction successful March, pursuing a nett and sustainability breach, came earlier a arguable societal media station astir VAR Stuart Attwell a period aboriginal which yet saw the nine fined £750,000 this season.

With proprietor Evangelos Marinakis presently midway done a five-game for spitting towards officials - he mislaid his entreaty connected Monday - Forest person snubbed the quiescent beingness again. But it is connected the transportation wherever they are making the astir sound this season.

Nuno returned to the Premier League aft a spell successful Saudi Arabia and determination were a fewer doubters erstwhile helium replaced Steve Cooper successful December past year.

He had won the Saudi Pro League and the Super Cup with Al-Ittihad but aft a abbreviated and hard clip astatine Tottenham, Forest fans would person been forgiven for being underwhelmed astatine his appointment.

His four-year spell astatine Wolves ended arsenic things went stale astatine Molineux and the squad was incapable to support their spectacular emergence from the Championship to the Europa League quarter-finals.

But earlier the decline, helium built a squad - with the assistance of cause Jorge Mendes - which included young endowment similar Ruben Neves combined with the acquisition of Joao Moutinho.

He is dilatory doing the aforesaid astatine the City Ground with the accomplishment of six elder players, including defender Milenkovic who has helped Forest tighten up astatine the backmost and concede conscionable 7 goals truthful far. Only Liverpool - six - person shipped less.

Those who person covered Nuno astatine either Wolves, Spurs oregon present Forest cognize helium is not the astir expressive successful quality conferences.

He is simply a meticulous planner of what happens connected the transportation which, implicit the people of a year, has steadily improved prospects astatine the City Ground, though helium has inactive benefited from the foundations predecessor Cooper laid.

Cooper's power and narration was important to signing Gibbs-White - who helium won the Under-17 World Cup with portion England manager - portion the now-Leicester brag brought Wood to the nine and kept them successful the Premier League.

Nuno has built connected that success, though helium has fto his emotions get the amended of him connected the touchline - contempt promising to rein successful the disapproval of officials - and successful August helium was fined £40,000 and fixed a one-game suspended ban aft his comments pursuing the 2-0 decision astatine Everton past season.

That suspension was activated erstwhile helium was dismissed for contesting Gibbs-White's reddish paper successful the gully astatine Brighton successful September, meaning helium has watched Forest's past 3 games from the stands.

Despite Nuno and proprietor Marinakis' disciplinary issues, Forest are connected a three-game winning tally which has propelled them to third.

Trips to Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United travel swiftly aft the planetary break, which starts aft Sunday's league sojourn of Newcastle, portion they besides big Aston Villa and Tottenham earlier the extremity of the year.

Those who are sceptical of their chances volition constituent to the information that 5 of their 10 games truthful acold person travel against the bottommost seven, portion their past 3 games person been against Crystal Palace, Leicester and West Ham, nary of whom person started the play well.

But Forest person gone to Anfield to inflict leaders Liverpool's lone decision this play and person besides claimed draws astatine Chelsea and Brighton.

Sunday's sojourn of Newcastle - who won astatine the City Ground successful the Carabao Cup successful August - starts a spell which volition trial Forest's staying powerfulness and by Christmas it volition beryllium wide whether they tin prolong their form.