Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been preparing the Reds for their clash with Fulham
Nottingham Forest will look to extend their Premier League unbeaten streak to six games when they face Fulham this afternoon.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds have had a promising start to the season and will be anxious to continue their good run against the Cottagers tonight (3pm kick-off). They have yet to win at the City Ground this season, and haven’t won on Trentside since April, so they’ll be looking to change that.
Forest has been training hard at the Nigel Doughty Academy in preparation for the game. The club has shared different films and photographs on social media of the players being put through their paces, and we’ve compiled a list of what we found.
Boly’s back
Willy Boly has yet to play since the Premier League restarted following this month’s international break. He injured his calf in training while on duty with the Ivory Coast and has not appeared in either of the Reds’ match squads since rejoining the club.
Prior to last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion, head coach Nuno stated that the centre-back was “really close” to joining the squad. In his pre-match press conference on Thursday, he stated that the injury situation had not changed, with midfielders Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare remaining long-term absentees.
However, film from Forest training shows Boly participating in sprinting workouts among his teammates. It remains to be seen if he plays against Fulham this afternoon.
Morgan to be missed
After being sent off on the south coast, Nuno admitted Morgan Gibbs-White needed to be picked up. Following his dismissal, the England international apologised to staff and teammates and was described as “upset” in the changing room.
“We needed to lift him up. “He is very disappointed to be missing the game,” Nuno remarked on Thursday lunchtime.
Forest have definitely done a fantastic job of rallying around Gibbs-White, who appeared in high spirits in film posted by the club showing the players preparing for today’s game. He appeared to be having a good time while sprinting with Anthony Elanga and taking part in some of the media day activities inside the Nigel Doughty Academy dome.
He is a valuable member of the team, both on and off the field. And he will be greatly missed this afternoon as he serves his one-match suspension.
“We will miss him a lot. Nuno stated, “He is a very special and important player for us.”
Team spirit
The Reds have already shown their character in games this season. They needed strength and drive to fight back from behind against Brighton, and then to hold on for the closing few minutes with 10 men.
They’re a close knit group. And video footage demonstrates how close they are as a group.
Chris Wood and Nikola Milenkovic may be seen making a joke while racing each other in training. Pictures of several of the players as children for a quiz elicit a few giggles. And the bromance between Anthony Elanga and Ola Aina is definitely still going strong, as they are seen embracing after one practice and then exchanging banter as the former is asked some quickfire questions for a media day feature.
The camp has a pleasant vibe and a genuine sense of community; everyone appears to be having a good time. That is visible both in training and during matches.
This summer, Forest signed 11 players, two of whom (Marko Stamenic and David Carmo) were promptly sent away. The nine new arrivals to Nuno’s team have made a good impact so far, and it almost feels like they’ve been at the City Ground for a long time.
They all appear to have settled in rather well. In one video clip, Alex Moreno and Ramon Sosa wrap their arms around each other as they pose for the cameras as they prepare to leave for training. Jota Silva also cracks a joke about the weather, while James Ward-Prowse and Elliot Anderson tease Ryan Yates about how he looks like a younger version of himself.
Nuno has definitely recruited a solid team, full of talent and decent personality. There’s a lot to admire about this group.
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