Nottingham Forest

Third in the Premier League, the fourth-best defense in the league and the most clean sheets… 

The whole picture surrounding the Nottingham club has now changed. All this comes after an extremely turbulent season. Nottingham finished 17^th in the previous season and only secured survival in the last round. On top of that, Forest was also deducted four points that season. All they needed this year was a quiet season. 

However, no one hoped that this would not be the case and that the team would fight for Europe.

Of the previous 70 cases when a club had 40 or more points after 20 games, only four times did they not finish in the top four. That is exactly how many points Forest had after 20 matches. 

Since 2000, the average number of points needed for first place is 89.2 points, for second 81.6, for third 74.5, and fourth 69.5. Despite this, Opta believes Forest has no chance of finishing in first place, giving them only 0.7 percent for second place.

Comparisons with the 2016 champions are inevitable. 

The Foxes, after fighting for survival, became champions the following year. Claudio Ranieri led Leicester to a 10-point lead over second-placed Arsenal and lost only three matches in the league. 

After 20 games, Leicester also had 40 points. The team’s success from the “King Power” was based on Vardy, Mahrez, Marc Albrighton, Kante… On the other hand, Forest has Chris Wood, Hudson-Odoi, Elanga, Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.

Forest is often described as the team with the best counter-attacks, but the statistics say otherwise. 

Of the 33 counter-attacks, they have had 29 shots and scored only four goals. Tottenham scored the most goals from counter-attacks – 10- while Chelsea, Liverpool and Wolves scored more than Forest did from counter-attacks.

The Foresters have a conversion rate of 31.9% when it comes to big chances. 

They have taken advantage of 15 of the 47 created. Elanga and Hudson-Odoi have six each, and Morgan Gibbs-White has the same number. 

Regarding average possession, Forest is convincingly last with just 39.4%. Nuno’s team had only 929 passes in the final third of the pitch; only Ipswich (925) and Southampton (887) had fewer. Arsenal is convincingly first with 3192.

The club has not played in a European competition since 1996, when Frank Clarke was manager. 

In January, the team celebrated the 50th anniversary of Brian Clough taking over – arguably the club’s greatest legend and most successful manager.

After three-quarters of the season in England, Nottingham Forest is an absolute hit, and it would be a real shame if they didn’t eventually make it onto the international stage. The Foresters have two ways of reaching the international scene; the best option is through the Premier League, where they are currently third in the table, and the second through the FA Cup, where they are in the quarter-finals.

It’s clear to everyone that it’s (still) impossible to imagine Nottingham Forest on the English throne. 

Still, no one can take away their right to dream the most beautiful dreams and forget, at least for a moment, that football is no longer the game that made us sincerely, boyishly fall in love with it and that miracles are possible!

Is the new generation of Forest fans and players ready for new successes?

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