Can Nottingham Forest finish in a European place this season?
Nottingham Forest is the surprise team of the season in the Premier League, and we now expect them to finish this campaign inside the league’s European places.
The Premier League had a top four that was difficult for other clubs to break into for several years, and competitors needed to spend a lot of money to come close.
With Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United struggling over the last decade, other clubs have taken turns to occupy a spot in the Premier League’s top four occasionally.
Newcastle United finished the 2022/2023 season in the fourth spot, denying Liverpool a chance to play in the Champions League.
At the end of last season, Aston Villa finished fourth, ahead of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham. They compete in the UCL this season.
Forest has begun this season in fantastic fashion, and it seems they could even make the top four, although that would require a lot from them.
At the moment, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool occupy the top four spots.
Forest is fifth in the standings after 15 league games, but just two points separates them from the inconsistent Man City, who are fourth on the log.
Forest has had a remarkable season, and it is beautiful to see them do so well at this early stage of the campaign.
Fans who buy Nottingham Forest tickets have mostly followed the club since it played in the lower leagues of English football.
However, they are one of the clubs with a rich history in the country, and it is great that they are back in the big time and could get back into Europe.
The glory days of Forest
Under Brian Clough in the late 1970s, Forest cemented its place as one of the top clubs in England. They won the first division title in the 77/78 season and the League Cup that year.
In the following campaign, they defended the League Cup and won the European Cup, which is now the Champions League.
Forest unbelievably defended their European crown in the following campaign and won the European Super Cup.
It remains one of the best periods in the club’s history, and they remain one of the few English clubs to have won up to two European crowns.
After that period, Forest began to decline until they were relegated from the English top flight in 1999.
In 2022, Steve Cooper won promotion back to the Premier League with them and they team has remained in the competition since then.
The Nuno Santo effect
Cooper deserves a lot of credit for helping Forest gain promotion back to the Premier League after two decades.
It was one of the biggest achievements any manager has had on their team, and a lot of the credit must go to Forest's dedicated owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who is serious about making them a powerhouse again.
Because he wants them to be considered a top club again, it was only a matter of time before Cooper was replaced as the team struggled in the top flight.
They had backed their manager with some expensive signings and players who made them one of the strongest squads in the Premier League.
Despite the amount of investment in the team, Cooper could not stabilise the side in the English top flight as it continued to struggle.
Nuno Espirito Santo replaced Cooper at the end of 2023 as his team continued to flirt with relegation and that decision has paid off.
Espirito Santo led the team to finish 17th at the end of the 2023/2024 season and was backed with some new signings before the start of this campaign.
During his spell at Wolves, Espirito Santo continued to defy the odds, earning impressive results and finishing in European places with them.
This earned him a job at Tottenham, but he did not last long at the London club, so he had to try to rescue another team.
Ideally, Forest should be one of the clubs tipped to be relegated from the Premier League this term, but they are vying for a place in Europe.
This is mainly because of Espirito Santo's expertise and decision-making, who has transformed some of the players he met at the club.
His team won at Liverpool for the first time in 29 attempts, and that game made fans believe they could do special things this term.
That win also filled their players with confidence, and at the moment, it is hard not to consider them one of the clubs that can finish in a European place this term.
Is Nottingham Forest in the title race?
Last season’s outstanding team was Aston Villa and at some point, we considered if they could win the Premier League the way Leicester City won it in 2016.
Unai Emery has proven to be a manager who knows how to get results as an underdog, and that kept his Villa team in the title race for much of the campaign.
Forest is the team making the biggest impression in the Premier League this term, and we have to consider whether they are in the title race.
After 15 league games, 10 points separate them from Liverpool, which currently holds the top spot in the Premier League.
They are six points away from the second spot and two points behind Manchester City, which is above them.
Forest has earned some huge results this season and could get more before the term ends, but they are not in the title race.
They have everything it takes to finish in one of their best positions for decades, but it is hard to see them finish as champions of England.
Why Nottingham Forest can finish inside a European spot this season
They might not win the league this term, but Forest has all it takes to finish inside one of the European places by next summer.
Espirito Santo has taught his team how to consistently win games and how to see out matches, so we expect them to win many games this term.
Another factor in their favour at the moment is that Newcastle United, Tottenham, and Manchester United, who should be vying for a European spot, are all struggling.
Before they recover, Forest would be in a better position and could probably have cemented a European spot already.
Forest has had a fine start to this season, but they have the players and the manager who can help them continue making progress and finish the season with a European spot in the bag.