Nottingham Forest’s decision to basically sign everyone and anyone last summer eventually paid off. Steve Cooper kept them in the Premier League and they now have the opportunity to consolidate their position in the English top-flight. But the second season can often be more difficult than the first as a number of teams have found out in the past.
How the team did last season
Forest eventually finished in 16th position, four points clear of the drop zone. This was a brilliant achievement for a side tipped by many to finish at the foot of the table.
For a period of time, it did look as though they would be playing Championship football during the 2023/24 campaign. Cooper’s side won just one of their opening 12 matches and picked up just six points during this period.
Their form in January and May definitely saved them. They picked up 11 points from a possible 15 after the turn of the year and eight from a possible 12 to finish the season.
The 19 points from these nine matches account for half of their haul for the season (38) and highlight just how invaluable these periods were for the team.
Nottingham Forest were heavily reliant on their home form too. They picked up eight of their nine wins at the City Ground.
If they hope to survive again this year, they are going to have to do something about their defence. They were breached on 68 occasions last season, and only three teams in the English top-flight conceded more goals. Furthermore, they were one of the lowest-scoring teams in the Premier League, finding the back of the net 38 times, a total only four teams failed to match.
Despite this, they did manage to pick up wins over Liverpool, Brighton and Arsenal while also drawing with eventual champions Manchester City.
Key to their survival were the goals of Taiwo Awoniyi. The summer signing finished the season with 10 goals and four of them were match winners. Morgan Gibbs-White also made quite the impression during his debut season with the club, creating 67 chances and chipping in with eight assists.
However, perhaps surprisingly, Serge Aurier had the highest average FotMob rating (7.04).
What has happened during the summer?
This summer has been a much calmer one for Forest.
So far, they have made just four signings. Chris Wood made his loan move from Newcastle United into a permanent one with Forest forking out £15million to secure the services of the centre-forward.
Anthony Elanga, rumoured to be a target for Everton, made the switch from Manchester United for a similar fee. He’s an exciting talent who could blend well with the attacking unit at the City Ground.
Ola Aina returned to England too. The right-back came through the ranks at Chelsea before moving to Totino, he’s now back in the Premier League having made the move on a free transfer.
And finally, this week, Matt Turner, the USMNT goalkeeper joined from Arsenal in a permanent move.
Forest have, unfortunately, lost some key players during the transfer window. Renan Lodi and Keylor Navas returned to their respective clubs following their loan spells. Jesse Lingard also departed after a one-year stint with the club, he failed to have the desired impact on the team after joining from Manchester United last summer. Finally, Sam Surridge left to join Nashville.
What they should be aiming for next season?
Their first objective for the season should be survival. Once that is assured, a mid-table push is well within their grasp given they have been able to keep a number of their highly-rated players.
This appears to be a settled team now and they have Premier League experience and know-how. This should work in their favour and make the 2023/24 campaign a much more enjoyable one with no real threat of relegation.
Prediction
12th.
(Images from IMAGO)
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