NafisaNottingham Forest are soaring in the Premier League with just 11 games left in the campaign, currently holding an impressive third-place position.
It has been a remarkable season for the Reds. Just a year ago, they were battling relegation and struggling to stay in the top flight, made even more difficult by a four-point deduction.
Last season was anything but smooth for Forest. VAR controversies were a recurring problem, and the club was penalized for previous financial breaches.
Much of Forest’s resurgence can be credited to Evangelos Marinakis and Nuno Espirito Santo, whose influence has propelled the club up the league table. It has already been an outstanding campaign for the team.
Marinakis came close to dismissing Espirito Santo twice last season. Now, the Greek owner will surely be relieved that he stuck with him, allowing the Portuguese coach to implement his vision.
Leicester City’s Conor Coady Praises Espirito Santo
Conor Coady is currently fighting to keep Leicester City in the Premier League as Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side struggles through a difficult run with just 11 games remaining.
However, Coady’s career took a major turn after a pivotal discussion with Espirito Santo when the manager first took charge of Wolves, aiming to secure promotion from the Championship.
Before Espirito Santo’s arrival, Coady had never played in a back-five system. That tactical change proved to be a game-changer for the defender.
He told the Still Talking Show:
“Nuno changed my life, honestly, he changed my life. When he first came to Wolves, we knew he was coming in from Valencia and we knew that he would make big changes.
“We all wanted to be a part of it. I remember the first couple of days in training, we’d worked on a back five and I’d always played centre-mid or right-back the season before in the Championship. We working on this back five and I was in the middle of the back five.
“I thought he was putting me there to make the numbers up because I’d never played there before. We’d trained for a few days, and we get on a plane to go to Austria for pre-season and he sat next to me and honestly, that conversation I had with him then was just unbelievable, honestly.
“Basically he told me that this was now his club and he’d have us there or thereabouts come the end of the season and he told me he was going to play a back five and I was going to play in the middle of the back five.”
Espirito Santo Transforming Chris Wood’s Career
If Forest striker Chris Wood hears these words from Coady, he might relate to the same experience.
Since Espirito Santo’s arrival, Wood has established himself as the team’s leading striker, netting 18 goals this season after scoring 15 across all competitions in 2023/24.
Coady’s remarks highlight Espirito Santo’s strength as a man manager—someone who deeply invests in his players’ development and focuses on refining their skills.
Forest have hit a rough patch in recent weeks, but under Espirito Santo’s leadership, the club has a manager to be proud of. The future looks bright for the Reds as they aim for a strong finish to the season.
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