Liverpool’s fixture against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night at the City Ground sees the Reds officially tick over into the second half of the season. The first 19 games have been efficiency at its finest. After the departure of Jurgen Klopp, even the most optimistic Reds fan wouldn’t have predicted that the team would be sitting six points clear of second place with a game in hand and with the old nemesis Man City having a complete crisis of confidence and battling for European qualification of their own.
But If you think that is the stuff of dreams, then Forest fans have a story to tell of their own.
When a team is called a “surprise packet” it has a deal of condescending nature attached to it. In a way where ‘it’s a nice story but this team will return to their normal level soon enough.”
Pundits and dare I say general football fans in general have been waiting for Forest to regress to the mean, but if anything they are getting stronger and building in confidence with every fixture. They come into this fixture in third place only behind Arsenal on goal difference on the back of winning six league games on the bounce and warmed up for this fixture with another victory on the weekend in the FA Cup against Luton.
It may be too early to call this game a title decider, but if either side walk away with the three points, it will give them a monumental confidence boost in their quest to raise the Premier League title come May.
Matt Davies from @forestfocuspod tells TLW about how manager Nuno Espirito Santo has taken this team to a new level, the overall impact of Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White and what his hopes are for the rest of the season.
We have just ticked over the half way point of the season and Forest have already picked up more points than your previous two campaigns in the top flight (38 and 32 points respectively) Does this feel season seem surreal to you and your fanbase in general?
Definitely! At the start of the season there was a feeling that Forest would be better having done good business and had a full pre-season with the manager after his mid-season arrival. However, no one could have predicted what we have seen so far.
Can we look at the turnaround in fortunes by starting with the manager in Nuno Espirito Santo. A man who was humiliatingly sacked at Tottenham after just four months and while he won a couple of honours in the Saudi League including the league title, he ended up being sacked there too. Having spoken to some Forest fans previously, I understand how popular Steve Cooper was, but what has Nuno done differently to Steve and turned not only his managerial stocks around but those of the club too?
There's quite a lot of similarities between the two in terms of favouring a counter attacking style and having a reputation for good man management. What Nuno has managed to do is get more out of players than Cooper was able to do in a few cases. Chris Wood is the prime example as his goal scoring record is exceptional. Matz Sels did not play under Cooper but Nuno has got him and so many other players playing the best football of their career. Nuno has had better players to work with in a few instances (Milenkovic, Anderson primarily) but no one could argue he hasn't taken the team to a new level.
Chris Wood is just one of those feel-good stories that Football can produce. The journeyman who has plied his trade all over the Football League for over a decade but is now in the form of his career at the rip old age of 33. So what makes Forest and the big Kiwi such the ideal partnership?
The main factor would probably be that the attack is set up for him to score goals. Chances seem to be created with him in mind when it comes to getting the ball into the box in good areas. Nuno has also placed a great deal of trust in him. Taiwo Awoniyi did a great job in Forest's first season after promotion, but Nuno has made Wood the main man and that confidence has been repaid with Wood scoring all types of goals under Nuno. If people watch the goals against Newcastle away last season, Wolves away this season and Leicester away you'll see he's more than just a target man.
The transfer business that you have done in the last couple of seasons seems to be the backbone of your success this season. Who has been the architect of identifying players like Nikola Milenkovic, Matz Sels and Ola Aina along with those who have had unhappy spells at big clubs like Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi?
Forest's recruitment process has been refined over the last year and is now led by George Syrianos, Ross Wilson and Pedro Ferreira. They have exploited the South American market brilliantly with the signings of Murillo, Danilo and Ramon Sosa. Jota Silva was a bargain signing from Portugal too.
Morgan Gibbs-White was one of those players categorised in the “talented” category but consistency seemed to be his biggest issue. This season has seen the package come together and certainly put other clubs on notice regarding his abilities. With the large improvements that Forest have made this season, do you think he sees a future where he can build a career at the City Ground. Or would he be tempted to make a big money move?
Gibbs-White has been great for Forest since day one but he lacked goals and assists which we're starting to see this season. Getting England caps has also bought him wide attention. I certainly don't see any of the main players leaving this month. If Forest get into the Champions League and there is no PSR related reason to sell then I would hope everyone stays as well. Maybe if we miss out on the Europa League and big offers come in then it's possible he goes, but it would need to be for huge money.
The Premier League has long been described as a marathon, not a sprint. Do you think Forest have the squad depth to keep this high level of form going, or are reinforcements required. And what indeed are your goals now. Top four or Europe qualification in general?
I think Forest can get in the top four or five, which would hopefully bring Champions League football. It would feel like a real blow now to miss out on Europe altogether. For that to happen then there needs to be luck with injuries and maybe one or two signings - a versatile forward being the main one to ease the load on Chris Wood. A Cody Gakpo type who can play wide as well would be my thinking.
The rivalry with Liverpool has spanned generations and it’s fair to say this is the most meaningful contest between the two teams in many seasons. What do you make of the Reds this season under Arne Slot and while Mo Salah's form has been elite this season, are there any other players you feel need to be contained for Forest to get a positive result?
You probably need to contain all of them as Forest did at Anfield and then hope for Liverpool to not be at their best. Slot has done a fantastic job considering the lack of new signings. Salah is the best player in the league by a mile and Slot has handled his contract situation well, along with that of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
For whatever reason, the City Ground has been an unhappy hunting ground for Liverpool feven before your long absence from the top flight. And while there have been a couple of 1-0 victories in the modern day history of the fixture, they have been extremely hard earned and Liverpool have known they have well and truly been in a game. With the atmosphere no doubt set to be at a frenetic level on Tuesday night, what is your prediction?
The atmosphere will be off the scale. Everyone here can't wait. I will go for a 1-1 draw given how good Forest have been defensively all season. I think they can restrict Liverpool on the night.
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