It’s been a great start to the Premier League campaign for Nottingham Forest with a number of top performers currently playing in the Garibaldi.
Defensively, Forest have been excellent. Nikola Milenkovic has been praised by Henry Winter, whilst the whole back five has been extremely dependable.
Chris Wood has been given a new nickname by Shay Given and he’s picked up where he left off last season by scoring eight goals in 11 starts during 2024/25.
Forest have been hit with some injuries during the current campaign – and seemingly they have all come through the middle of the pitch.
Danilo broke his ankle in the very first game of the season. Shortly afterwards, Ibrahim Sangare – who had started the season well – also picked up a long-term problem with his hamstring.
Since then, one player has highlighted that Nuno Espirito Santo made a huge mistake at the start of the season and it’s now vital that he doesn’t repeat it when those two are fit.
Jurrien Timber of Arsenal controls the ball under pressure from Nicolas Dominguez of Nottingham Forest during the Premier League match between Ars...
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Nuno Espirito Santo can never drop Nicolas Dominguez ever again
With the injuries taking their toll on the Forest engine room, Dominguez has been given a lifeline to reestablish himself at the City Ground.
It’s fair to say that he’s not disappointed and has made the position his own in the middle of the park for Forest.
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Espirito Santo has called Dominguez ‘special’ previously and it’s fair to say that he does value his input to the team – even if he wasn’t the first choice when the season started.
Who Scored showcases just how valuable is to the Forest team with his 22 successful tackles this season the second-highest in the squad.
For context, the man at the top of the list – Ola Aina – has actually played almost double the number of minutes that Dominguez has.
When it comes to interceptions, Dominguez is second on the list too, with 12 – the same amount as his midfield counterpart, Ryan Yates.
When it comes to unsuccessful touches of the ball, Dominguez has endured just five all season and that makes him a real threat when it comes to look after the football.
Dominguez is integral to Forest and Espirito Santo must know it
It’s crazy to think that Dominguez was the fourth choice for a central midfield shirt at the start of the season.
The £8 million signing from Bologna was very steady last season and fans warmed to him following his arrival from Serie A.
Injuries to Danilo and Sangare have given him a chance to stake his claim and he’s managed to keep loan signing James Ward-Prowse at arm’s length this season.
When the two injured players are back, there might be a decision for Espirito Santo to make.
However, Dominguez has shown that he’s competent at both ends of the pitch and the Forest head coach should never consider dropping the Argentine ever again.
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