Nottingham Forest will want to make the most of the international break before facing a decisive run-in to the season
Chris Wood (third from left) on the training ground with his Nottingham Forest teammates(Image: PA)
Nottingham Forest could hardly have asked for a better week leading up to the international break, and now it is all about how they build on that platform.
At home and abroad, the Reds have had much to be positive about in recent days. The mood around the club has completely shifted with the Europa League quarter-finals reached, three huge points claimed and an injury comeback made.
This season still has a long way to run, however, and there can be no room for complacency. If Vitor Pereira’s side want to continue their continental adventure and get over the line in the Premier League, they cannot afford to let standards slip.
The Forest head coach will be looking to make the most of time on the training ground with his squad before the first leg of their last-eight tie with Porto on April 9. NottinghamshireLive takes a look at the Reds’ dream international break scenario…
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Pereira’s plan
Pereira has been in charge at the City Ground for little more than a month. As Forest’s fourth manager of the campaign, and with time running out on the season, he has had to work quickly.
It feels as though he has been in charge longer than he actually has; not least because so much has happened. But also because the Portuguese has wasted little time in getting his ideas across.
The Reds are beginning to find their identity under Pereira. They are a team full of fight and spirit, but the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers chief is also keen for the group to show their quality. He has talked about playing with freedom and without fear.
“It is not about Tottenham, West Ham and Leeds, this is about us as a team,” Pereira has said of the relegation battle. “It is about what we want as a team, what we want to be as a team and as players.”
The opportunity to work with his group (those not on duty for their countries at least) for an extended period should allow Pereira to really instil what he wants to see from Forest. Build on the promising signs already shown and this fortnight will serve the Reds well.
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Shooting practice
Forest have made strides in the last few weeks but they still have some areas in need of improvement. Finding the net three times at Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday will have done the group the power of good, but it would be naive to think their goalscoring issues are completely solved.
Only bottom club Wolves (24) have scored fewer goals than the Reds in the Premier League so far this term. The abysmal stat about having 99 shots but scoring just one goal in their last five home games in all competitions certainly needs to be improved.
Pereira has said Forest work on their attacking output every day in training; they also practised penalties before the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against FC Midtjylland. No doubt there will be plenty of shooting practice during these couple of weeks, too.
Set-pieces, both attacking and defending, also remain an area ripe for improvement. The Reds had worked on corners prior to taking on Spurs, and it paid off when Igor Jesus broke the deadlock from Neco Williams’ ball in. More of the same in the coming weeks will be the aim.
Home form fixed
In recent seasons, Forest have thrived at the City Ground. Home form was the foundation for Premier League survival in their first two years back in the top flight and then for last term’s European push.
This time around, not so much. Seven league defeats on the banks of the Trent is a poor return.
The Reds haven’t triumphed on their own turf in any competition since January 29, when they toppled Ferencvaros under Sean Dyche. In the league, that run stretches back to December 14 and a 3-0 toppling of Tottenham. To achieve success in the Europa League and to retain their top flight status, that is going to have to change for Pereira’s squad.
Porto will be in town for the Europa League quarter-final second leg on April 16, while Aston Villa, Burnley, Newcastle United and Bournemouth are still to make the trip to the East Midlands in the league. Forest need to figure out a way of picking up positive results at home.
Key man back
In addition to ironing out a few kinks, a perfect break for Forest centres around the return of one man. Chris Wood.
That is not to say having the New Zealand international back would solve all the Reds’ issues overnight, but there is no doubt having him available again would be a giant boost. He has been sorely missed.
As if to underline what Forest have been missing, Wood scored on his first appearance since October when he found the net for the Under-21s last week. Even if he can feature in only some of the remaining games and provide an option for the final minutes, it would be a help.
“Now we have time for him to start working with the team and to increase his level and his confidence,” Pereira said of working with Wood during the international break. “I think he will be able to help us in the next games.”
Understandably, the Portuguese will continue to tread carefully with Wood – after all, he has been absent for a long time. But just imagine how much of a lift, to players and fans, it will provide when he pulls on the Garibaldi again.
Morale maintained
Pereira has been Mr Motivator so far. With little opportunity to work properly with the squad, he has conceded his role has been about keeping spirits high as much as anything else.
He got the best out of a fringe XI against Midtjylland, coaxing strong displays out of players who hadn’t exactly pulled up many trees previously. And he delivered the perfect rallying cry in the capital when he asked the dressing room how desperately they wanted to stay in the Premier League.
As a result, Forest came into this break on a wave of positivity. A bond between team and fans that had become slightly fractured was restored with a comeback for the ages in Denmark and then a special Sunday away to Spurs.
Pereira knows when to put an arm around players and how to boost confidence. The goal is to emerge from this break with the mood just as upbeat and optimistic as when the Reds went into it.
