For the third successive season, Nottingham Forest kick off their Premier League campaign with the sole objective of avoiding relegation.
By Sam McGuire
This time, however, they might not beat the drop.
What happened last season?
A bit of everything, really.
Forest sacked their manager and they were deducted points but, in the end, they did enough to retain their place in the English top-flight. Their haul of 32 points was the lowest tally of any surviving team in Premier League history.
We’ll start at the beginning.
Steve Cooper lasted until December before being dismissed as the Forest boss. He was replaced by former Wolves and Spurs manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
Under the Portuguese tactician, Forest won 22 points from their 21 matches and this was enough to avoid the drop. However, they did have to wait until the final day to guarantee their Premier League status.
This run included back-to-back wins over Newcastle United and Manchester United in late December, a three-match unbeaten run in March and then two wins in their final three outings. In the end, this flurry of positive results across Espírito Santo’s reign was enough.
If they want to avoid another season of struggle, there are key areas to improve. Firstly, Forest need to improve as a goal threat. They scored just 49 goals last season, making them the fourth-lowest scorers in the Premier League. They kept just four clean sheets all term and conceded, on average, 1.8 goals per game.
In summary, they didn’t score enough goals or keep enough clean sheets. A recipe for disaster.
They were heavily reliant on Chris Wood. The 32-year-old was responsible for almost 30% of the goals scored by Forest last term. In fact, he was the only player to finish with double digits. Morgan Gibbs-White chipped in with 10 assists and claimed a FotMob rating of 7.24, the highest amongst the players at the City Ground. If Espírito Santo wants to avoid a relegation battle, he’s going to have to find a way to get this team firing.
What has happened during the summer?
As ever, Forest have been fairly busy in the transfer market.
Elliott Anderson arrived from Newcastle United in a deal believed to be worth £35million. It was a significant outlay for a player with limited experience in the top flight. That deal probably falls into the risky category.
Nikola Milenković has been added to bolster the backline. The former Fiorentina man seems like a good fit for the physicality of the Premier League.
Jota Silva, a winger, arrived from Vitória Guimarães while Forest signed yet another goalkeeper in Carlos Miguel. He replaced the outgoing Odysseas Vlachodimos in the squad.
The club also lost Moussa Niakhate and Orel Mangala to Lyon, but they did recoup a combined £52million for the duo.
It is worth noting that this is Espírito Santo’s first pre-season in charge at the City Ground.
What they should be aiming for next season?
Survival. That is the aim. But it is going to be tricky. Yes, they have managed to keep hold of Gibbs-White and Murillo, two highly-sought-after players, but they haven’t really added to the squad and the forward line is still lacking goals. It looks like it will be an uphill struggle for Espírito Santo and his team.
Prediction: 20th
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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