Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo is gearing up for a thrilling encounter as his team sets sights on Tottenham's visit on Boxing Day. Spurs, known for their goal-scoring flair this season with a league-leading 39 goals, have struggled defensively, managing just four clean sheets.
Forest, in contrast, are riding high on a three-match winning streak and made headlines as the first to prevent Brentford from scoring at home this term. When quizzed about the upcoming fixture, Nuno remarked: "You never know what’s going to happen in the game. " He noted that despite the unpredictability, his analysis revealed "good players, a lot of goals, also conceding goals."
"The result was a little bit unexpected but what we are preparing is a new game, new situations will happen and we are facing a very good game."
Nuno, who successfully deployed a back three comprising Morato, Murillo, and Nikola Milenkovic against Brentford, may consider a similar strategy to curb Tottenham's attacking threat. He felt confident about the formation, stating: "I think it worked OK. We were good in the game.
"Defensively we had to be aware that Brentford were very offensive, a lot of goals and situations and one of the reasons was that.
"But before, we did it against (Manchester) City and many games before so it’s a shape the players knew, the routines were there and we decided to go with this game, let’s see."
Forest have two crucial matches before the January transfer window beckons, potentially providing the opportunity for further squad improvements with an eye on European contention. Nuno remains resolutely focused on the immediate challenges at hand with Tottenham, stating: "We have two games to go and this is what we are focused on. Of course there’s work to be done but in the right moment, we will do it.
"Right now the focus is on Spurs and how we can compete well. This is what we have to be ready for."
Addressing the nuances of the January transfer period, he noted, "Each part of the club has to be responsible for that situation (January window) and the window is a tricky one in terms of recruitment, in terms of creating an unbalance in our own squad. " Finally, he highlighted the dedication of his team, declaring, "You just have to be ready but more than anything, the players are focused and committed on their tasks."