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Back three, breaking records and the ‘only thing’ that worried Nuno in Nottingham Forest victory
Getting back to basics paid off for Nottingham Forest as they bounced back from consecutive defeats with a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town on Saturday.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo had placed a big emphasis on restoring defensive solidity after the Reds had shipped six goals in their previous two games. They had to work hard for their clean-sheet at the City Ground, but thanks to the efforts of those in front of him goalkeeper Matz Sels didn’t have too much to do.
At the other end of the pitch, Chris Wood is now the club’s joint-top Premier League goalscorer after his penalty took him level with Bryan Roy on 24 goals in the competition. Jota Silva had won the spot-kick in the first place, making an impact on his first league start.
For Nuno, the inclusion of Jota and a rare spot in the XI for Neco Williams (as Alex Moreno dropped to the bench) demonstrated the strength in depth in his squad. Below is a look at what the Portuguese had to say after the final whistle.
On getting the win…
“It was very hard-earned. We say this over and over again, but I truly believe as a team, as a squad and as a club, our mindset should be that we have to be very hard to beat.
“We spoke about that during the week and about going back to basics. The basics are simple, let’s be solid. And solid is being aggressive, sticking to your task and helping your teammates. Defensively, we were OK.”
On a clean-sheet…
“All the back line did OK. It wasn’t only the defence, the midfield were aggressive. But when we changed to a back three, we allowed (Ipswich) too much and dropped too much.
“They didn’t create too many situations but the key point at that moment is we didn’t take advantage of the space and we didn’t counterattack. That is one thing we have to assess.
“Especially in the last moments of the game, anything can happen. Anything can happen if you don’t close the game down. That was the only thing that got me worried, because there was space and we didn’t break them. We didn’t go out with our speed, so we have to look at that.
“I give a lot of credit to Ipswich, but I didn’t see Matz doing a lot of things. That represents how good the boys were in front of him.”
On Wood becoming Forest’s joint-top Premier League scorer…
“We are delighted. And not only here, in New Zealand he is going to break all the records. They are there to be broken. We are delighted. He keeps delivering, and we are so glad.”
On whether Wood can keep going for many more years…
“I believe so. Chris really takes care of himself. Nutrition and rest are so important. Chris has this ambition to keep playing, so he has to take care of his body and his mind. And he is perfect now. As long as he continues, good.”
On Jota’s first league start…
“I think he started really well and with energy. He brought us up the pitch and won corners. He won us the penalty.
“He is another option. Ramon Sosa is also - he is taking a little bit more time but he will get there. I always say that players need time to settle down in the Premier League because it is very hard to compete, but he did OK.”
On the decision to start Williams…
“Options. We have to understand that it doesn’t really matter who starts if we consider that all the squad is there and the players are available. Neco did amazing with the national team so had that momentum. As long as we understand this philosophy, I think we’re going to be OK because we have a good squad.”
