For much of this incredible season, Nottingham Forest have had a clear identity as they have put themselves in the mix for European football.
In recent weeks, though, they have looked a little off-colour. With the business end of the campaign in sight, the Reds seemed at risk of forgetting who they are.
Wednesday night was more like it. As head coach Nuno Espirito Santo said afterwards, a goalless stalemate with Arsenal was about “finding ourselves as a team again”.
It was not a bad point for Forest, coming after back-to-back defeats on the road, although they were the ones pushing for a winner in the closing stages. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from the midweek 0-0 draw at the City Ground.
Defensive solidity
The Gunners might have problems at the top end of the pitch, where they have been particularly hard hit by injuries, but they still carry a threat. Having shipped six goals in their previous two outings, a clean-sheet felt almost like normal service resumed for Nuno’s men.
Keeping it tight at the back has been a key feature of the Reds’ campaign. It has been the cornerstone on which they have built their Champions League charge.
Against both Newcastle United and Fulham, they had looked shaky. The damaging 11-minute spell where they went from 1-0 up to 4-1 down at St James’ Park on Sunday was very un-Forest like.
Wednesday night was about going back to basics. Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic were excellent in the heart of the defence. The former made some important interventions, while his centre-back partner managed the game well despite being on a booking since the fourth minute. Goalkeeper Matz Sels, on his 33rd birthday, had a relatively quiet evening but did what he needed to do by making a strong save when required.
This was the first 0-0 draw at the City Ground in the Premier League since 1998. The hosts wanted more, but there can be no doubting the importance of the shut-out.
Midfield dilemma
Nuno stuck with the same starting XI from the weekend, reasoning the players had responded well in the second half after a below par opening 45 minutes in the north east. He wanted his team to continue in the same manner in midweek.
Other than perhaps considering whether to switch to a back three, the only real selection dilemma for the Portuguese concerned his midfield pairing. With Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare now back from injury, this is the area of the pitch where there is something of a selection conundrum.
Elliot Anderson is virtually undroppable, so it is largely a case of deciding who starts alongside him in Nuno’s usual 4-2-3-1 formation. Nicolas Dominguez got the nod again on this occasion, but the Argentine might find his place under threat in the coming weeks.
Dominguez was far from at his best against Newcastle – not that he was alone on that front. Wednesday night was an improvement but he was still guilty of a few errors. One of them almost proved costly as he was turned by Riccardo Calafiori in the first half, only for the Arsenal man to hit the post.
After quite an edgy first half, the hosts looked better when Ryan Yates and Danilo came on just past the hour mark. Yates, in particular, made a difference – just as he had on Sunday, when he came off the bench to score. The Nigel Doughty Academy graduate must surely be a contender to start when Manchester City visit Trentside on Saturday week.
Magical Morgan
If anyone was going to unlock the Gunners, Morgan Gibbs-White looked the man most likely to do so. After a quiet couple of games by his high standards, Forest’s No.10 was much more like his usual self at the City Ground.
When he is on it, the Reds are capable of causing problems for any team. Forest need him; he makes them tick.
It was a night of relatively few chances on this occasion, but the England international did pick out Chris Wood more than once with some sublime passes. The front man just couldn’t quite supply the finish.
Belief can go a long way in fixtures such as this. Nuno insisted the plan was not to hold tight for an hour and then push in the closing stages, but Forest were noticeably higher up the pitch as the clock ticked down. As soon as he came on, Yates went over to Anderson and Gibbs-White to pass on instructions – and they were clearly taken on board.
The Reds seem to have been a little short-changed where added time is concerned in their last two outings. Against Newcastle, they played a measly three minutes extra at the end of the 90. On Wednesday night, it was just four. As on Sunday, even a couple of minutes more and a breakthrough might well have been forthcoming.
Race for Europe
Any pundits writing Forest off in the battle for the Champions League spots underestimate what this team is about. Sure, it is going to be nervy and close between now and May but the Reds have plenty of grit and determination – as well as quality.
They produced a response on the banks of the Trent. It wasn’t delivered quite as loudly as they would no doubt have liked, but this could prove to be an important point nonetheless.
It felt a little edgy at times, both on and off the pitch, and that is understandable given there is so much at stake. Before a ball was kicked this term, hands would have been snapped off for any kind of European football. But now Forest have spent so long in the upper echelons of the table, there is an element of nervousness over not wanting to miss out on the grandest of stages
Nuno’s team are very much still in contention, though. Others are gaining ground but they remain third and are in control of their own destiny. The gap to sixth-placed Newcastle United stands at four points.
Getting over the line will not be easy. Nor is it supposed to be; this is fighting for a place in an elite competition, after all.
After a break for the FA Cup, the Reds have another huge game to come on the banks of the Trent against Pep Guardiola’s City. Their home form has been solid so far, and must continue to be. Even if it did not deliver three points, Wednesday night will have been a timely confidence booster in Forest finding their way again.
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