Three and a half years ago, Nottingham Forest was last place in the English Championship. Incredibly, the two-time European champions now sit second in the Premier League, going toe to toe with Liverpool. Can Forest go all the way and win the Premier League? It’s possible. Just ask their East Midlands neighbor Leicester City.
Just as Leicester rose from the Championship to win the Premier League, Nottingham Forest has created a team chemistry and underdog mentality that makes you want the club to succeed.
Forest, like the Leicester of old, has a cutting edge where the club takes its chances and isn’t intimidated by the opposition.
Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood have been revelations up front. Belgium goalkeeper Matz Sels has been flawless between the nets. Meanwhile, Morgan Gibbs-White shows why he has such a bright future ahead of him in England’s midfield. And Murillo has been a rock in defense.
From back to front, Nottingham Forest is stacked. The only worry is whether injuries could disrupt the scintillating form the team is in. Undefeated in its last 7 matches, Forest currently has the best form in the entire league based on the last 6 games.
Nottingham Forest’s fairytale: Can Forest do a Leicester?
Can Forest do a Leicester and go all the way to winning the Premier League trophy? Why not?
The club’s meteoric rise is only the latest chapter in what has been a rollercoaster ride. As recently as 2008, Nottingham Forest was in the third tier of the English pyramid. Since that time, the club has been through a cavalcade of ownership groups through to the latest one run by Greek shipping tycoon Vangelis Marinakis.
As a neutral observer of the Premier League, seeing so many clubs break the Big 6 monopoly is a breath of fresh air. The likes of Brentford, Fulham, Bournemouth, and Brighton challenging the status quo. At the same time, giants such as Manchester United and Tottenham struggling in the bottom half of the table. Manchester City, long the seemingly invincible, is for the first time appearing to be human where wins are no longer a guarantee.
It’s turning into one of the most riveting Premier League seasons in years with Nottingham Forest as the cherry on top (or at least, the cherry in second place).
Of course, we can’t go without mentioning the work that head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has done. Last season, he kept Nottingham Forest out of the relegation zone after manager Steve Cooper was sacked. The soft spoken Portuguese has this year surprised everyone by turning the team into the talk of the league.
Last but not least, Nottingham Forest fans continue to create an electric atmosphere at the City Ground. In the stadium where manager Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor brought the club its greatest achievements, Nuno is on pace to give them both a run for their money. As Clough once said, “They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I wasn’t on that particular job.”
If Cloughie was still alive, I’m sure he would loved to see Nuno on that construction project.
