EPL

Nuno takes over at Nottingham Forest – what can fans expect from the Portuguese?

By Sports Desk December 20, 2023

Nuno Espirito Santo has been appointed Nottingham Forest’s new manager, replacing Steve Cooper, on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what we might expect at the City Ground under the former Wolves and Tottenham boss.

Squad issues

Nuno likes to work with a small squad. At Wolves he capped it at around 22 players to ensure every member of the team felt like they had a chance of playing.

With Forest’s bloated squad it will be interesting to see how the new manager handles it and whether he feels the need to trim in January.

PR problems

If anyone expects Nuno’s press conferences to lead the headlines they will be mistaken. He did not like doing them at Wolves and was notorious for short answers and quick press conferences.

At Tottenham he held them on Zoom due to Covid regulations but remained cold and detached.

Should things go wrong at Forest, there will be little sympathy in the media.

Gibbs-White reunion

Gibbs-White struggled to get going under Nuno at Wolves and Forest’s record signing must be intrigued about the appointment.

He made 31 appearances in Wolves’ return to the Premier League under Nuno in 2018-19 but then just six in the top flight the following season before undertaking loans at Swansea and Sheffield United.

For Nuno to succeed at Forest he must get the best out of his former midfielder.

White Hart Pain

Nuno was a symptom of the problems at Tottenham when he was appointed, rather than being the sole problem himself.

He only joined after a chaotic recruitment process in 2021 which saw Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso all considered ahead of him.

It was little surprise it did not work and he was dumped after just four months, being replaced by Conte.

Stale or successful?

Nuno helped assemble a fine squad at Wolves, with Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves the core of their success as promotion and European football were achieved at Molineux.

But it ultimately went sour, Nuno went stale and performances became tedious.

Negative football at Tottenham peppered his brief reign and it remains to be seen if he can rediscover his magic touch.

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    Following Arsenal's 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday, City are one point behind the Gunners at the summit with a game in hand.

    Arsenal are now in the unenviable position of needing a favour from their North London rivals, as a City win will ensure they enter this weekend's final set of fixtures with the title race in their hands.  

    However, City have lost on all four of their visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League without scoring, though they did manage a 1-0 FA Cup win there in January.

    Only Birmingham City (seven at Old Trafford) have played more Premier League games at a specific stadium without finding the net.

    Asked about the importance of ending that record, Guardiola said: "It's obvious, I would say. We have just one option, win the game. We will go from there.

    "We played really well there many times but weren't able to score or win games. We are trying to do something special, so we have to do that this time.

    "This is the time to do it, otherwise Arsenal will be champions."

    Some Tottenham fans have expressed unease about the prospect of helping their old enemies end their 20-year wait to be crowned champions of England, but Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has hit out at those questioning his team's motivation.

    "What do you think we're going to do as a team? Like any team on this planet, aren't we just going to try and win? It's a simple, basic premise," Postecoglou said. 

    "Now how that makes people feel, I'm not really fussed. I don't really care."

    Touching on City's hunt for an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title, he added: "Sometimes people think once you win it once it becomes easier, but it becomes harder.

    "It's a testament not just to Pep but the whole organisation and how they want to achieve success."

    PLAYERS TO WATCH 

    Tottenham – Dejan Kulusevski 

    Kulsevski has been directly involved in five goals in his four Premier League games against City, more than he has versus any other opponent in the competition (three goals, two assists).

    The Swede scored a last-minute equaliser as the sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in December's reverse fixture, but he has failed to net in any of his last 11 Premier League matches.

    Manchester City – Phil Foden

    Foden and Jack Grealish both scored in City's reverse fixture against Spurs. The only previous players to score home and away against Tottenham in a Premier League season for the Citizens are Sergio Aguero (2013-14 and 2014-15), Ilkay Gundogan (2017-18) and Raheem Sterling (2017-18).

    Foden netted his 25th goal of the campaign across all competitions in City's 4-0 rout of Fulham on Saturday, and the Player of the Season candidate will play a key role here.

    MATCH PREDICTION – MANCHESTER CITY WIN

    Arsenal supporters may not feel great about having to cheer on their old rivals, but history suggests Tottenham have a chance of providing a twist in the title race – regardless of how their own fans feel about that prospect.

    Indeed, City have lost more Premier League games against Tottenham under Guardiola (six), than they have against any other side.

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    Only once have they enjoyed a longer run in the competition, going 30 without losing between April 2017 and January 2018.

    They have also won their last four away league games, the last three of them by an aggregate score of 10-0. Only once in their league history have they won four in a row on the road without conceding, doing so as a second-tier club between March and April 1903.

    Regardless of their terrible record on this ground, it is difficult to see the champions slipping up.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Tottenham – 20.1%

    Manchester City – 54.8%

    Draw – 25.1%

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    The Premier League title race will go down to the final day after Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday, but it is yet to be decided who will go into the last match on top of the table.

    City sit one point behind the Gunners, and if they win their game in hand over Spurs on Tuesday, they will reclaim top spot.

    However, an Aston Villa win over Liverpool on Monday would end Spurs’ chances of Champions League qualification, meaning they would have nothing to play for against the title holders.

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    He said: "You think the majority of our fans are not going to want us to win?

    "I don't see it that way. I think the majority of our fans will create the atmosphere they always create at our games. We've got a game of football to win and that's what we'll try to do.

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    "I'm not just going to sit there and watch them win. That doesn't sit comfortably with me."

    Pressed on if a proportion of fans would be against a positive result, Postecoglou added: "A proportion of our fans? What does that mean? What proportion? 50 per cent? 20 per cent? One per cent?

    "That's fine, people are allowed to feel the way they do.

    "But I think I've been consistent and really strong in my beliefs that it's important for this football club not to look for silver bullets to get to where we want to; it's hard work, it's resilience, it's quality, not to fall for any false dawns - and know what real success looks like: trophies.

    "Anything else in between, bragging rights, whatever it is, is absolutely meaningless to me or anyone involved with me. We've got a game we want to win."

  • Southgate: Man United speculation 'a complete irrelevance' Southgate: Man United speculation 'a complete irrelevance'

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    However, amid the talk over where he could end up later this year, the 53-year-old is not looking beyond the Euros.

    "I've got one thing to focus on, and that's having as successful a tournament with England as possible," he told ITV News.

    "Everything else outside of that is a complete irrelevance to me."

    Asked specifically about the United links in a separate interview with BBC Sport, Southgate said: "There will always be speculation about managers.

    "If you lose a couple of games, you're in trouble - you win a couple of games and it is a different agenda.

    "But for me, [Euro 2024] is a brilliant opportunity. We're looking forward to the tournament. My focus is on how do we go a step further than we went in the last Euros."

    Southgate has been England boss since 2016 and previously hinted he contemplated stepping down after the World Cup quarter-final loss to France in December 2022.

    Despite the fact his deal expires in the next six months, Southgate insists that is not a concern ahead of the Euros in Germany.

    "It's not an issue and never has been," Southgate said. "I have to deliver a successful tournament for England and there's enough work involved in that.

    "I think everybody would expect that's where my focus should be."

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