Confident, ambitious, serious – the Nuno effect is taking Forest into dreamland
Those who know the man behind the stern facade all attest to the special qualities of a manager who has taken club to unexpected heights
communication is key for Nuno Espírito Santo, whether it is speaking to his squad, playing music or guiding horses over jumps. Simple and clear messages make working for and with the Nottingham Forest head coach uncomplicated, because everybody knows what is demanded of them on and off the pitch.
The only place Nuno’s methods have not worked at is Tottenham, where he returns on Monday with Forest, who are in a race to qualify for the Champions League and are preparing for an FA Cup semi-final. The Portuguese was never the right fit in north London, lasting four months before being dismissed, but he will not be out for revenge: the league table has done that for him.
Nuno’s work at Rio Ave, Valencia, Porto and Wolves earned him a shot at a big Premier League club and despite failing at Spurs he and his close-knit staff have recovered from the disappointment to take one of the Premier League’s unfancied clubs close to European qualification.
Along the way, he has learned to balance the aspects of his character that make him an inspirational leader: he is meticulous, cool under pressure but capable of outbursts of emotion, backed by self-belief. It all comes back to a love of winning and a hatred of losing. From the start he embraced being the underdog, taking Rio Ave – from Vila do Conde, half an hour north of Porto – into Europe for the first time.
“He was confident and very ambitious,” the former Rio Ave striker Ahmed Hassan says. “Everybody felt his vibe, his energy. He has a very good way to motivate players and this was one of his best attributes. He has a clear philosophy and is very hard-working and expects the same from players. I really loved his speeches before games. He tries to touch you and make you feel very motivated. Then you want to play so badly because after his speech you feel goose bumps.”
It can seem as if there is a constant intensity to Nuno. To relax he plays the handpan, a calming musical instrument often used during meditation, and has been known to show off his talents to colleagues, inspiring one to buy the instrument. He owns two horses and is a keen equestrian, using time off to ride them over jumps.
There has always been an admiration for British football. Despite not playing in the country, Nuno took his coaching badges in Scotland and always envisaged managing in England. That came to pass with Wolves in 2017, a wheel greased by his long-term adviser, Jorge Mendes.
Since the early days, he has been defensively minded and played on the counterattack, reliant on the quality of Diogo Jota, Hélder Costa and Rúben Neves to settle matches at Wolves. Not much has changed, but now it is Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi doing the damage for Forest. When Wolves won the Championship in 2018, 14 matches were settled by a one-goal margin. Rampant victories have rarely been Nuno’s style.
Nuno wants his players to work for one another. Talent is integral, but character is almost as important. “The whole atmosphere around the club was absolutely incredible,” says the former Wolves defender Ryan Bennett. “Every single day, the rule was you see the manager, you shake his hand, you see the staff, you shake their hand. The little things they did made the general atmosphere.”
Everyone would eat together at the Sir Jack Hayward training ground. Staff would sit at one long table and the players another. It was the job of the club captain, Conor Coady, to ask permission for players to get their food and no one would leave before the last person had finished their meal. The conversations held in the canteen built camaraderie and long‑lasting friendships.
When a player arrives, especially from abroad, Nuno makes extra effort to ensure things are settled off the pitch so they can perform on it, something Hassan benefited from. Being multilingual helps him speak to his global contingent. Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English, he even conversed at Wolves with the defender Maximilian Kilman in Russian, a language Nuno learned during a season as a Dynamo Moscow player.
It may not always be verbalised, but Nuno wants to win a trophy wherever he may be. “His demeanour was very serious all the time,” says Bennett. “He always looked like he was thinking and always, always very serious.”
If a team do not have ambitions to challenge for silverware, Nuno would not entertain the prospect of coaching them. Even when he joined Forest in a relegation battle, he was thinking of triumph. Two FA Cup wins at Wembley, the first against Manchester City next Sunday, would achieve this.
Nuno’s trusted fitness coach, António Dias, worked hard over pre-season, focusing on the players running for long periods to ensure everyone could cope with Nuno’s demands, and is adept at managing loads.
Nottingham Forest head coach reveals Ola Aina injury status after Manchester United scare
Nottingham Forest head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, has revealed Super Eagles star, Ola Aina, will undergo further scans to know the extent of the injury he sustained against Manchester United, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Reds sealed a 1-0 victory against Ruben Amorim’s side at the City Ground last night, courtesy of a 5th minute brilliant solo goal from Carrington export, Anthony Elanga.
30 minutes later, Aina pulled up injured on the pitch, without any collision, and Forest’s medical staff were ushered onto the pitch. After initial checks, he appeared fine, but after three minutes, the former Chelsea defender was helped into the tunnel, and was replaced by Alex Moreno.
Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE;
-
Denmark star asks Manchester United to recognise his Nigerian roots
-
New Leao – Highly-rated Juventus attacking youngster ditches Nigeria, dreams of Italy call-up
-
Watch: Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams vibe to Skales’ shakebody on duty with Spain
Speaking about Aina’s injury status after the game, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager mentioned he’s unsure about what the issue was.
“We have to assess. It is always a concern when a player gets injured by himself.
“He is going to have a scan and we will see how it is. We’re not quite sure what it is, only the scan will say exactly,” Nuno Espirito Santo said in quotes revealed by Nottinghamshire Live.
Elanga’s goal made it three league wins in a row for the City Ground inhabitants, and it meant Nuno became the first Forest manager to complete the league double over United since Brian Clough in the 1991/92 season.
“We are delighted, realising how the game went. We could not be more proud than we are, because it was very tough,” Nuno said, expressing pride at the achievements of his team.
Forest are now edging closer to their dream of playing in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the 21st century.
