Can't see Forest for the Trees

In the 2023-24 Premier League season, Nottingham Forest were embroiled in a desperate fight for top-flight survival, finishing 17^th with a meager 32 points, the lowest ever by a club to avoid relegation, compounded by a four-point deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules. Fast forward to April 2025, and Forest have undergone a transformation that has captivated neutral football fans worldwide, emerging as genuine contenders for a Champions League spot, a feat not achieved since their European Cup triumphs under Brian Clough in 1979 and 1980.

The architect of this remarkable turnaround is manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who took the reins in December 2023 with Forest teetering on the brink of the dreaded drop. His last two EPL gigs ended in failures at both Wolves and Spurs, but Nuno’s pragmatic approach has instilled a disciplined, counter-attacking style, with Forest boasting the league’s joint-highest number of clean sheets (nine) and a miserly 19 goals conceded in 19 games. Central to this defensive solidity is the towering Nikola Milenković, signed from Fiorentina, alongside the exciting Murillo, forming one of the Premier League’s most formidable center-back partnerships. And with clinical forwards like Chris Wood, who has rediscovered his scoring touch, and the dynamic trio of Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Callum Hudson-Odoi capitalizing on swift transitions.