Nuno responds to Chris Wood injury fear as Nottingham Forest being fifth 'doesn’t mean anything'
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo is determined to keep pushing Nottingham Forest forward after they climbed to fifth in the Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Leicester City.
Chris Wood’s brace and a goal from Ryan Yates made it seven away games unbeaten for the Reds on a memorable night at the King Power Stadium. Jamie Vardy had cancelled out Yates’ opener to leave the score level at the break, but the visitors stormed to victory in the second half and could have had more goals.
Nuno was forced to watch from the stands as he served the second of a three-match touchline ban. After the final whistle, he insisted Forest will not get carried away with their fine start to the season as there is still room for improvement. Below is a look at what the Portuguese had to say in his post-match press conference.
On what pleased him most about the win…
“Seeing our fans celebrate. Believe me, they have given us so much. To see them like that at the end of the match is what we play for.”
On important half-time tweaks…
“Even though I thought we were really good in the first half and were organised, they were breaking us through the middle so we had to make adjustments. Even though we were good in the first half, in the second half we were much better.”
On developing a level of consistency…
“Yes, definitely. I saw a very good game of football. We were consistent through the match.
“We lost a little bit of control in some moments, but I’m really happy. After we scored, the impact of the players from the bench was amazing; they helped us to close the game.
“We still had a threat and we missed some good chances to score more and give more confidence to our players who are coming in and having an impact. Some of them are searching for this goal. But overall, it was a very good performance.”
On getting to his seat in the stand after Wood’s first goal…
“I was in the dressing room. Unfortunately I still have one more game to go of this ban, but I saw it. It was a beautiful goal.
“I saw it on the TV in the dressing room. Unfortunately I didn’t see it live.
On why Wood is thriving…
“His work, his commitment, the way he works every day to prepare himself, his confidence, his teammates. It is not about individuals. Each moment, the players are understanding more the movements we want in the final third of the pitch.
“But it is all about Chris. Not only the goals. He gives us a lot of things that are huge for us and we are really thankful and delighted to have him.
“We need goals from all over. We are delighted Chris is not only giving us goals. But we keep pushing because we see these players work every day. We have to push them because they can give more; there are players who can give more goals to the team and help.”
READ MORE: Nottingham Forest fans teased Leicester City's with a brilliant Steve Cooper chant
READ MORE: Nuno singles out what pleased him most in Nottingham Forest's 'beautiful day'
On being fifth in the table…
“It’s true, (being fifth at this stage) doesn’t mean anything. What is important now is preparing for West Ham because it is going to be very tough.
“The table is not what guides us. What guides us is how we do things and how we have to now correct details, because we conceded a goal. We are going to try to continue and try to improve.
On the excitement among Forest fans…
“They should get excited and they should enjoy it. Today was a beautiful day for us as a club, to come here in this special game and play this football and win the game. Now we go back to Nottingham celebrating.
“The fans have given us so much since we arrived. Let’s not forget where we’ve come from and how hard it was. Now is the moment for them to enjoy it. We try to give back all the support they have given us since we joined.”
On whether Wood picked up an injury, having applied an ice pack to his foot after coming off…
“I hope not. Let’s assess, but I hope not.”