Nottingham Forest’s upcoming run of fixtures has been the subject of plenty of chatter of late, especially on the back of successive defeats.
There is the double-header away to the Manchester clubs to come next week. Beyond taking on City and United, the Reds have home games against Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur either side of a trip to Brentford.
By anyone’s standards, it is a testing few weeks. And you do not need to tell head coach Nuno Espirito Santo that.
That very same sequence of games was put to the Portuguese in his pre-match press conference on Thursday lunchtime. He motioned with his hands, as if to suggest his inquisitor could reel off a few more teams, and then leaned back in his chair as he pointed out: “And you can continue! All of December is going to be very tough.”
Nuno remains very much about focusing on the task at hand. And that means looking no further than Ipswich Town at the City Ground on Saturday (3pm kick-off). For him, there is no more pressure on that match than any other - even with the tricky run coming up.
“No, because the points are the same in all the games and all the teams are so tough to play against,” he said. “There is no difference in our approach or the way we look at our opponents. First, Saturday. And then we think about the rest. I know the schedule better than you, believe me!”
As usual, Nuno speaks much sense. But although he may be keen not to put any pressure on Saturday’s match, there is surely no question it is an important game.
It is not the be-all and end-all, whatever happens. A win would be a very timely boost, however, particularly with the challenges to come in mind.
The Reds are better than they have shown in their last two outings, even if the standard of opposition - in Newcastle United and Arsenal - must be taken into account. Nevertheless, conceding six goals in two games goes against what they have been so good at in the opening weeks of the season.
“When we have this record in two games the first reaction we must have as a club is to say, we cannot be this kind of team,” Nuno said with a determined look. “We cannot be a team that concedes too many goals.
“Our reaction is to work hard. The players realise that the first objective is a clean-sheet, simple as that.”
Defence is always the priority for Nuno. It is why Nikola Milenkovic was seen as such an important signing. It’s why so much work was put in on the training ground over the summer on tightening up at the back.
But Ipswich are just as capable of causing Forest problems as Newcastle and Arsenal were. They are not to be taken lightly.
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Indeed, Nuno was quick to interject when a question was put to him about the challenges the Tractor Boys face as a newly-promoted team adapting to the Premier League. “I know that, I’ve been there,” he stated with reference to his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He was also rapid in his response when he was asked if complacency had perhaps crept into the dressing room in recent weeks. “No. Complacency is unnegotiable. It is not part of us,” he said.
Nuno added: “The way we approach games is always the same - the result before doesn’t mean anything. It is always a new chance to improve. Whether you win, lose or draw, it is always about looking forward to the next game and knowing we have to do things right.
“That is especially the case for us at the City Ground. I still believe the home factor is huge for us. Let’s take advantage of the help of our fans.
“It’s life. How long you stay in that moment for? And now you bounce back.”
Forest still have enough about them to have a good season, whatever happens on Saturday. Successive defeats has not changed that. But if they can claim three points, it would set them up nicely for the weeks ahead.
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