**Nottingham Forest**’s August has been marred by the off-field melo drama, involving Head Coach Nuno Espírito Santo and owner Evangelos Marinakis. The Forest manager owes the two’s division to the new global head of football for Marinakis’ collection of clubs, Edu.
The falling out has led to speculation over Espírito Santo’s future at the club. This comes off the back of Forest’s best Premier League season in decades, and the Portuguese coach signing a brand-new three-year deal in the summer.
Nuno and the club’s Greek owner are set to hold talks over the coming international break in an attempt to clear the air.
On the pitch, Forest’s fortunes have been mixed, with four points from their first three games, including a win against Brentford, a draw against Crystal Palace and a dismal loss against West Ham United.
As the transfer window drew to a close, Forest were busy, bringing in five players in the last three days. With Oleksandr Zinchenko(loan) and Dilane Bakwa, the highest-profile of the late acquisitions. Earlier in the month, Nuno brought in Omari Hutchinson, Douglas Luiz and James McAtee, with all three yet to start a game for their new club.
Let’s look back at the Tricky Trees’ August.
Forest’s first game of the Premier League season saw them welcome a new-look Brentford to the City Ground. The Bees had lost their influential manager, Thomas Frank, to Tottenham Hotspur, as well as their talismanic forward Bryan Mbeumo. On paper, they looked weaker than they had done in previous campaigns, and Nuno’s men took full advantage of that.
They took the lead just five minutes in, with Starman Chris Wood picking up where he left off last season. The Kiwi striker saw his well-timed half-volley squirm its way through Brentford bodies.
Last season, Forest had great success in sitting deep and hitting their opponent on the counter, but in this game against Brentford, Nuno was employing slightly more aggressive tactics. His side were controlling the majority of possession, pressing **Keith Andrews**’ team high up the pitch, and were having great success in doing so, as in the 42nd minute, they doubled their lead, when summer signing Dan Ndoye, met a beautiful Morgan Gibbs-White cross with a fantastic diving header to score on his debut.
And then, in the first half’s dying embers, Elliot Anderson played what is probably the best of the season so far, into the path of Wood, who coolly rounded Caoimhin Kelleher and finished into an empty net to put his team 3-0.
The second half saw Forest protect what they had rather than push for more, and although Brentford pulled one back through an Igor Thiago penalty, it was too little, too late.
An immaculate display from Forest and an excellent way to start the new season.
Elliot Anderson has always been an incredibly gifted player, but this new Premier League season has seen him go to another level.
Last season, while Forest were employing a slightly more conservative style, Anderson was far more important to his side’s defensive duties than he was their attacking ones.
Now, with Nuno seemingly looking to try and take the game to opponents, Anderson is just about performing every role a midfielder can.
While he still very much loves snapping into a tackle and getting involved in one-on-one battles, he has also become the metronome of the side, and is key to ensuring his team keep possession. He does this by shifting the ball from side to side, dictating the tempo of the game and waiting for gaps to appear in the opponent’s defences, and when they do emerge, Anderson will strike with a killer pass into the final third.
He very much has the look of an old-school midfielder, one who, rather than focusing on one area of the game, has decided to make himself a jack of all trades, and he is flourishing with this new level of responsibility.
Not to mention the 22-year-old also received his first call-up to the **England**senior squad and will almost certainly make his international debut over the course of the next two games.
Without a doubt, Anderson is **Nottingham Forest**’s player of the month.
Where it Leaves us
August has been somewhat hit and miss for Forest, and they find themselves in 10th place in the Premier League, which is probably a fair reflection of the team's current standing as the month draws to a close.
It gives the East Midlands side a platform to build on as they look to replicate or even better their last campaign.
Key Takeaway – Nuno Must Stay
When Nuno Espírito Santo was brought into the City Ground to replace the much-loved Steve Cooper, many viewed it as a backwards step, one that may see the club regress after finally getting back to the Premier League.
Instead, Nuno has taken Forest to heights they could never have imagined. While owner Marinakis has certainly invested heavily, there is no doubt that the key to all this unprecedented success lies with the man in the dugout.
And that is why, despite the falling out between Nuno and Marinakis, it is essential, for the sake of the club, that the two resolve their differences and get back on track. Otherwise, all this hard work will almost certainly be null and void.
The good news is that Nuno expects that he will be in charge after the international break, and with the owner and the manager set to meet for something of a clearing-the-air session, there is a good chance that the Portuguese will still be at the City Ground once the players return from international duty.
The Look Ahead
September is poised to be one of the most significant months in modern Nottingham Forest history, as for the first time in 30 years, the Tricky Trees will play European football, as they start their UEFA Europa League campaign.
The month starts with a trip down south, as they play **Mikel Arteta**’s Arsenal, in a game that will be Forest’s toughest test of the season so far. That is followed by a game against Swansea in the third round of the EFL Cup.
After that, it’s newly promoted **Burnley**away, and then, finally, it’s the big one, as Forest go to Spain to take on Real Betis.
The month will end with their only home game of September, as they welcome last season’s **Championship**play-off winners, Sunderland.