Liverpool have conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season, but the identity of the team with the second-best defence is a shock to the uninitiated. Many would expect it to be Manchester City or Arsenal but Nottingham Forest, who conceded the joint-fifth-most goals (67) in England’s top tier last term, have shipped only seven times in the opening nine games.
The addition of Nikola Milenkovic has been key to their resolve but Nuno Espírito Santo deserves credit for the structure that has enabled Forest to make a solid start. With the defence tightening significantly, it was crucial that the attack wasn’t sacrificed for an improved backline.
In the opening weeks, Nuno appears to have struck the right balance. Although Forest have scored only 11 league goals – only six teams have scored fewer – the 4-2-3-1 system gets the most out of the centre-forward at the Portuguese’s disposal.
Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi are the nippy wingers to keep opposition full-backs occupied, while Elliot Anderson has proven a fine capture and the perfect cover and competition for Morgan Gibbs-White. It is an ideal setup for Chris Wood, who scored his seventh league goal of the season in Friday’s 3-1 win at his former employers Leicester.
The 6ft 3in Wood is not a striker who will link up with teammates. He will not drop deep to knit the play and provide intricate passes to maintain dominance. Rather, he operates more as an old-fashioned No 9. But this is vital for a Forest side with a possession average of 40.1%; only Everton (37.5%) are averaging lower in the Premier League.
Forest need a physical presence in the final third to hold up play, ease pressure on the backline and provide an outlet in attack when they clear the ranks. It is no surprise, then, that only Milenkovic (26) has won more aerial duels for Forest than Wood (25). What this means is that Wood sees little of the ball. Strikers don’t see much possession even for the more dominant sides, and Wood has had only 199 touches in the Premier League, the fewest of any Forest player to register at least 300 minutes of game time.
When Forest get the ball forward they do so quickly, and crucially they have a frontman who is proving incredibly consistent in the opposition penalty area. Wood’s 25 touches in the opposition box ranks 61st in the top flight, and is fewer than the Leicester central midfielder Wilfred Ndidi (26) and Crystal Palace wing-back Daniel Muñoz (29), but it is where he comes alive.
He has scored six of his seven goals in the box and is averaging a goal every 3.6 touches in the penalty area, ranking him sixth of the 122 players to have scored a Premier League goal this season. A conversion rate of 36.8% is also the sixth-best in the division. Wood has never scored more than 14 Premier League goals in a season but is well on course to enjoy his most prolific campaign.
An issue could be keeping Wood fit, after spells on the sidelines in the past two seasons owing to a hamstring injuries. Forest failed to strengthen in attack over the summer and another muscle injury for Wood could prove costly.
A barrelling focal point is vital for Nuno’s counterattacking side and the New Zealander is ensuring the lightning-quick players around him are able to see the wood from the trees at Forest. He has scored 63.6% of the team’s league goals to underpin a start few thought possible after the flirtation with relegation last term.
