Nottingham Forest might not have strengthened Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad on deadline day but that doesn’t mean the head coach’s selection dilemmas have got any easier.
If anything, settling on the Reds’ strongest XI is more difficult than was the case a few weeks ago. After all, Nuno’s options have been bolstered – just not through any winter window signings.
Young defender Tyler Bindon was the only new face to put pen to paper before Monday’s cut-off when he joined from Reading. However, the 20-year-old will have to wait a while to make his debut in the Garibaldi as he immediately returned to the Royals on loan.
Nuno does have more players at his disposal than he did last month, though, thanks to midfielders Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare returning from injury. And winger Callum Hudson-Odoi should not be too far behind them.
The centre of the pitch poses the greatest conundrum when it comes to picking Forest’s best line-up. Danilo and Sangare will both hope to have a big part to play in the remainder of the season.
The duo made up Nuno’s first-choice pairing back on the opening day of the campaign, before injury intervened. Danilo suffered a broken ankle against Bournemouth that day and Sangare sustained a hamstring problem a few weeks later. The former made his first Premier League start since that day when he was in the XI for last weekend’s 7-0 obliteration of Brighton and Hove Albion, while his teammate made his comeback from off the bench.
Midfield is an area where the Reds are particularly well stocked. So much so that it made sense for James Ward-Prowse to return to parent club West Ham United on deadline day as his chances of regular game time had only been further reduced.
Each of Nuno’s midfielders offers something different. Ryan Yates, Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez have all played their part in getting Forest to where they are now while Danilo and Sangare have been sidelined.
After a tricky first year, Sangare was actually starting to find his feet before he was ruled out of action. The 27-year-old should be one of the big beneficiaries from the week-long training camp in Dubai the team are currently on. It will help with his fitness and sharpness.
Even when fully fit, though, he may well have his work cut out to pin down a starting spot. Yates and Dominguez might find the same, as the combination of Danilo and Anderson worked very well against the Seagulls.
Nottingham Forest: Special reports
To celebrate the success of Nottingham Forest this season, we are writing a series of features celebrating events at the City Ground.
From the finances to the former managers. Looking at how the City is benefitting from what Nuno’s team are doing on the pitch.
We take a deep dive into Evangelos Marinakis and his aspirations for the club – can the Reds match them?
Nuno’s switch to a back three for that rout adds another variation when considering the Reds’ strongest XI. It came about in response to the 5-0 drubbing at Bournemouth as the Portuguese looked to put the focus back on being tight defensively.
It worked a treat, and it might be something he considers for at least some of the remaining 14 games. When Hudson-Odoi is back fit, though, it is difficult to look past Nuno’s usual 4-2-3-1.
The winger has been a big miss in the last two matches while out with a groin problem – even if his teammates coped pretty well without him against Brighton. He has been pictured joining in as the players have been put through their paces in Dubai, so Forest will hope he is fit again by the time they travel to face Fulham on February 15 (3pm kick-off) for their return to Premier League action.
