Exclusive: Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo – ‘I always have this crazy conviction that we can win’
Updated 01/04/2025 at 11:20 GMT+1
Nottingham Forest are not just an early season feel-good story, they are one of the best teams in the Premier League and are on target for Champions League qualification. Ahead of their game against Manchester United – which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+ – Pete Sharland chats to Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo about culture, the human touch and belief.
Highlights: Forest edge closer to top-four finish with battling win over Man City
Video credit: TNT Sports
Sometimes all you need is belief.
It’s not quite a Leicester City fairytale, but the fact that on April 1 2025 and with under 10 games to go, Nottingham Forest are six points clear of the team in fifth place (defending Premier League champions Manchester City, no less) is a tale for the ages.
And one of the reasons for their rise has been the astonishing team spirit that exists not only within the dressing room but across the entire club.
Recently, TNT Sports pundit Peter Crouch spent a day with Forest and was blown away by what he saw.
"I've had the pleasure of being down the training ground," Crouch told Rio Ferdinand on TNT Sports show, The Breakdown. "They're all together and they all seem to really get on, the staff are amazing. It's easier when you're winning games, but it seems like they've created a really harmonious group there with some really good players."
Ally McCoist added: "I'm fortunate enough to have been there a few times - you know when you go to a place and it's just absolutely on fire, electric, and that's Nottingham right now."
Defender Ola Aina was the latest guest on Kenny Allstars Number Ones and he was effusive in his praise for what is happening at the club.
"Before the season started everyone would have thought Forest would be battling [relegation] again, but what I would say is the team is fantastic. The hard work we have put in, being together, and keeping the vibes up, win or lose, the vibes are the same. I think that has really helped us.
"The coach being here for the whole pre-season has helped as well. He just knows how to bring himself down to that level where he can chat to you, there have been times when he has spoken to me and it’s not as a coach, it’s as people, as equals."
So when TNT Sports sat down to talk with manager Nuno Espirito Santo before their game against Manchester United – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - culture and mentality was the agenda for the day.
"When we joined, in the first contact with the players, we all had to realise that we were in trouble, in a difficult situation," explained the Forest manager.
"[There was] a lot of noise around the club due to the points but what we found was a good atmosphere, we found a good environment among the players. I think [former manager] Steve [Cooper] did that, so I think we took advantage of what we felt was there: a unity, a togetherness that we had enough of a platform to succeed.
"Then after that the rest came day-by-day. We tried to implement our ideas, get to know the players and make good decisions which was very, very hard. But I believe that this atmosphere that we found and we tried to progress was very, very important to what we achieved last season and then into this season."
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For anyone starting a new job it can be extremely difficult and overwhelming, for a manager taking over a struggling club midway through a season, it can seem downright impossible from the outside looking in, so how do you go about learning what makes everyone tick?
"By working. You propose an exercise or a drill and you see how they react. If they enjoy it, if they don’t. You see if the exercise pushes them to the limit because I believe this is the moment where you really know a player and the person behind them. How far can you push them?
"And then by having conversations, having meetings [and] circumstantial conversations; not only on the pitch but during the meal when we’re eating together. [It is about] trying to understand what is their family situation and knowing them as individuals - and then from there, trying tactical and fitness aspects - but first the person behind the player."
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'Crazy conviction'
Nuno pushes back when it is put to him what he might have been expecting coming into this season, saying "thinking that you are better than anyone else, you are making the first mistake."
So instead, it is more about approaching things on a game-by-game basis, a cliché as old as time in sports management, but listening to Nuno explain the philosophy and belief that drives that, it is anything but.
"How we look at it is this, are we able to compete against anyone? So, let’s create this platform, this environment, this approach so that we can compete against anyone because we are not better or worse than anyone.
"We just have to work and prepare ourselves and then compete. Not many times - even if you win - will that tell you that you are better than someone. Maybe you were better on the day, but it doesn’t make you better than anyone. I look at you, am I better than you? Are you better than me? You do your job, for sure you do it better than I could.
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"[So how do we implement this mindset to the players?] Prepare them very well. I give them everything that I can so they can perform even a small detail. I always believe since I was a young lad, there’s always a chance, no matter who you have in front of you. I always have this crazy conviction that we can win, or maybe we can draw but I believe."
In his chat with Kenny Allstar for TNT Sports, Aina pointed out that "win or lose, our vibe is the same", but every workplace, be it within football or not, can have issues. For Nuno the key is being attuned to the people around you to stop problems spiralling out of control.
"All of us, we have good days, we have bad days, good moods, bad moods, smile, cry. It’s part of us but that doesn’t change. You have to keep your integrity, your character, your emotion and don’t hide it, don’t be a hypocrite and pretend you are happy when you are not so be yourself. But more than that, respect the people that you have next to you. Respect the decisions that someone makes that impact your own life, but believe this guy is making the decision for the best.
"Living with conflict, living with uncertainty, living with anxiety is the worst thing anyone can have. We have conflict, we have problems, what we try is to solve it before they become big.
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"[How do you do that] You feel it, just by the eyes, the shake of the hand if it’s strong, if it’s soft.
"It’s the whole staff, the players, everyone. If you see someone sad, if something has happened, you have to ask them. If the person in front of you wants to open themselves and speak to you then fantastic but you can feel it, for sure you can feel it in your job, your home, your family. It’s just [understanding] if someone needs space or if someone needs to speak, that option is there, but if you feel it, then don’t ignore it."
More likely than not, Forest will have to do without top scorer Chris Wood for the game against United but Nuno is focusing on what is available, rather than what isn’t. His answer to dealing with not having Wood perfectly encapsulates his philosophy: everyone is important, regardless of status.
"Not every player is going to be available for all the season, that’s why we have a squad. This is the first message you put across; every one of you guys is going to be important, even if it's just for one minute. Even if it is not one minute, you have to be important in the training session.
"We have players here like Zach Abbott, he never plays but he trains with you every day and believe me, when he’s not around, I miss him because I need him. This young guy, an 18-year-old, is going to give T [Taiwo Awoniyi] and Chris a push. I’ll never say we don’t have X, Y or Z, no, no, we have."
Forest’s sense of unity is tangible across the club and the journey it has taken them on already is nothing short of remarkable. Where they can go from here under Nuno will be absolutely fascinating to watch.
When is Nottingham Forest v Man Utd?
Nottingham Forest face Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday, April 1.
Kick-off is at 20:00 UK time, with live coverage on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate and discovery+ starting from 19:00.
How to watch Nottingham Forest v Man Utd
TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.
Nottingham Forest v Manchester United will be live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate with coverage from 19:00 UK time on Tuesday, April 1 ahead of kick-off at 20:00.
You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
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Watch Nottingham Forest v Manchester United live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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