Nottingham Forest’s achievement last season — and now promotion to the Europa League — means that success is now very hard to define, with domestic and international competition offering unprecedented challenges. George Edwards considers the season ahead
When you overachieve in the manner Nottingham Forest did last season, it’s hard to assess how they follow up. There’s no real natural progression that makes logical sense.
Forest capitalised on a season where the race for Europe was wide open and two of the traditional top six faltered, with the Reds buoyed by the sudden success of Nuno Espirito Santo’s captivating football.
It was a historic campaign, and one that will be cherished by Forest fans of all generations for the remainder of their existence.
But what next? Forest didn’t slowly progress up the league, forging a philosophy and taking small steps every season on their road to the final goal. They stabilised and struggled for two years before bolting, perhaps a year or two before they were actually ready to compete in and around the top seven.
That fact is shown by their dip in form towards the end, when injury and fatigue proved that they didn’t quite have the depth or experience to see out their otherwise consistent form, seventh place feeling rather sombre once the final whistle had blown.
Firstly, Forest must not let that hangover carry through into this season. There hasn’t been a major international tournament, so there has been plenty of time to recharge and forget about how it all ended. A positive start to the season does seem necessary and given Forest’s fixtures, they have a real chance to gain a kickstart before the games begin to mount up.
In a way, even without kicking a ball, Forest have already succeeded. While football is about winning, it is fed by supporters who follow their team for a feeling. A feeling of pride, of patriotism, of joy. Regardless of any result, the feeling of every Forest fan seeing their side play in Europe will feel like something of an achievement.
However, given their sudden rise to success, there almost has to be room for a backwards step or two this campaign.
Forest are no longer the new kids on the block, playing football in their own dynamic way. Teams are more aware of what makes Forest tick and how to mitigate their threats; losing Anthony Elanga will only subtract from that.
Furthermore, with Forest being (officially) promoted to the Europa League, they will likely find it more difficult to adapt to the extra workload and to rotate between domestic and continental affairs.
Chelsea won the Conference League last season without Cole Palmer even registered in their squad during the group stage. Aston Villa reached the semi-finals of the same competition in the same season they finished in the top four of the Premier League for the first time in 28 years.
That’s not to say that Forest would rather be in the Conference League, because the chance to test themselves against the elite of European competition cannot be sniffed at, but the strains Europa League football will place on Forest’s already minimal squad must be considered.
So, it depends on what the priority is. It may be that the domestic competitions have to give, or that Forest take risks in games they feel they should be comfortable in – it seems there will have to be a compromise.
Success is also about retaining the same identity and energy that brought Forest to the summit.
Over the break, club captain Ryan Yates spoke of the players “losing their identity” before Nuno arrived, while in conversation with Jake Humphrey on The High Performance Podcast. That was following two years under Steve Cooper where everybody had bought in to the club, the manager and the task in hand.
When times get tough this campaign, they cannot afford to lose themselves, because Nuno’s ability to make everybody feel free and able to express themselves has been one of the cornerstones of Forest’s successes under him. They must keep believing and keep achieving as one.
However, I have a feeling that success to Evangelos Marinakis may come in a slightly different form.
Nottingham Forest being a European commodity always seemed like the Greek’s end goal, but now they are there you can guarantee this won’t be the summit of his expectations and ambitions.
The two stars emblazoned on Forest’s badge elucidate that the club feel they belong in Europe, and after 30 years in the abyss, those at the top will be hungry to ensure Forest aren’t just there to make up the numbers.
Marinakis has been keen to support the cause in more ways than one over the break, as has been widely documented, showing the one thing you could possibly want from a football club owner: interest.
This is his show, his brand and his project – a project he is far from finished with. Once again, a more measured transfer window has come this summer, minimal incomings and outgoings from the starting XI, with quality additions considered and targeted with precision, all to give Nuno his best shot at a historic European venture.
Nuno has proved he can do it before too. His Wolves side finished seventh in the same year they reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, knocked out by eventual winners Seville. And while his style of play may take a lot out of his players physically, his man-management skills and the positive environment that generates makes this Forest side a tough unit to break.
To conclude, success this season can and will be measured in very different ways by very different people, but it has the potential to be one of the most defining seasons in Nottingham Forest’s illustrious history.
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