In recent years, the Premier League has become something of a tactical monolith. It doesn’t matter whether teams set up in a 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3, because the overarching fundamentals remain the same: high lines, high pressing, and a focus on specific passing and pressing systems designed to make the playing field compact in defence and exploit width in attack.
It has felt for a while that the successful philosophies of Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp in particular have become the blueprint for all PL sides to build their systems on top of. However, thanks to the great overachievers of the 2024/25 season so far, Nottingham Forest, we have been taken back to a style of football that was once considered outdated and ineffective.
Not only is Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo delivering consistent results, he is succeeding by exploiting the weaker points in the systems that have emerged from the blending of Klopp’s high-tempo Gegenpressing and Guardiola’s possession-based Juego de Posición.
This article delves into how Espírito Santo’s tactical choices have shaped Forest’s performances on both halves of the pitch, offering insights into the tweaks, patterns, and methods that have made his team the ultimate underdogs in the Premier League this season.
Build-up play
Espírito Santo usually sets his team up in a 4-2-3-1 in possession. The build-up play in this formation focuses on creating a stable and flexible structure to facilitate ball progression from defence to attack.
This formation allows for versatility in passing options, with the team able to switch play, build through the centre, or exploit wide areas, making it effective for controlling possession and launching varied attacking moves.
Rotations and fluidity
Unlike most pragmatic systems, where players are asked to cover one specific facet of play—absorb pressure and push forward as and when an opportunity presents itself—the Forest players constantly rotate during the build-up. This dynamic approach allows them to create numerical advantages and exploit spaces.
Even during his Wolves days, Espírito Santo would focus on getting his players into their best positions, where they could make the most of their individual skills.
Wingers like Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who are at their best on the wings, remain wide in possession, while players like Nicolás Domínguez and Elliot Anderson invert into the middle when playing as wingers. This emphasis on versatility and flexibility, where players interchange positions and formations seamlessly, disrupts the opposition’s defensive structure. Able to create numerical superiority in different areas, Forest bypass the opposition press while maintaining control.
Forest often build up with a back three. They do this by tucking in one of the fullbacks next to the centre-backs, with the other one pushing up either on the wing or centrally into midfield. At times, Espírito Santo drops a holding midfielder between the centre-backs to achieve three at the back for the build-up.
The back-three setup not only widens the playing field, it also opens up different angles for passing, making it easier for Forest to beat the opposition press and giving them more options in progressing the ball up the field to disrupt the opposition’s pressing structure, helping them maintain fluidity.
Direct build-up
Unlike most Premier League sides, who prefer short passes and triangular movement for build-up play, Forest take a direct approach, using early long balls to target their lone striker, Chris Wood.
By sending early balls up to Wood, who is adept at holding up play and winning aerial duels, Forest are able to quickly transition into attacking phases. This tactic disrupts their opponents’ defensive structure and allows Forest’s supporting players to move into advanced positions.
Building up like this minimises risk while maximising Wood’s strengths, enabling him to hold up play and involve his teammates higher up the field, creating in turn fast-paced attacking opportunities.
Defensive duties
If there’s one thing that has stood out this season, it’s Forest’s defensive acumen in both open play and set pieces.
Last season, Forest shipped 67 goals, including 23 from set pieces. This season, with the most clean sheets and the second-best defensive record (behind Arsenal) in the league, Espírito Santo’s men have been very difficult to break down.
First line of defence
To prevent Forest from sitting too deep in defence, Espírito Santo urges his players to squeeze their opponents up the pitch. This means constantly pushing the opposition into their own half.
With every slow, sideways, or backward pass, Forest’s first line of defence presses up, with the rest of the team following to stay compact. When the next pass arrives, they push up even more, forcing the opposition further back.
This approach keeps the opposition under constant pressure, making it difficult for them to build rhythm or find space between the Forest lines. It also pushes them further away from the Forest goal, making it harder to create chances.
Mid-press
Forest look to set up in a mid block, always trying to close the centre and force their opponents out wide. Espírito Santo extensively uses the 4-2-4 for this, which requires a careful balance between pressing high and maintaining defensive solidity.
The two central midfielders in this formation act as the primary shield in front of the back four while also supporting the press when the team look to regain possession. The front four press aggressively, cutting off passing lanes and forcing the opposition into mistakes, while the back four remain compact, with the fullbacks responsible for covering the wide areas.
The success of defending in this formation hinges on coordinated pressing, quick transitions, and disciplined positioning to avoid exposure in central areas.
Low-press
When pushed into their own half, Forest often switch to a 4-4-2, with the wingers dropping back into midfield.
In this setup, the two banks of four stay tight and narrow, focused on protecting the central areas to force the opposition wide, where it’s more difficult to create high-quality chances, while the two forwards remain in position to block passing lanes to the opposition’s holding midfielders.
This approach creates a defensive block that’s hard to penetrate, allowing Forest to absorb pressure while waiting for opportunities to counter-attack.
When needed, Forest shift from a 4-4-2 to a 4-4-1-1, with one forward dropping slightly deeper to support the midfield line. This tweak further strengthens their defensive shape, making it even harder for opponents to penetrate and find space between the lines.
Work rate
Under Espírito Santo, Forest have become more organised and compact, with every player contributing to the team’s defensive structure. The midfield and forward lines press with intensity, closing down spaces and forcing opponents into positions that allow Forest to set up effectively against any danger.
Moreover, when a defender breaks out of shape to put pressure on an opposition player, a Forest midfielder is quick to drop into the backline to cover for him. This allows them to close the space between the centre-backs and the fullbacks. Furthermore, with a central midfielder stepping into these gaps, Forest often resort to a back five, which allows them to maintain their defensive shape, prevent overloads, and provide additional cover for their fullbacks, especially when they are pushed out wide.
This compactness ensures the team’s defensive solidity, making it harder for the opposition to break through with attacks both wide and central. Additionally, by having midfielders cover these spaces, Forest’s centre-backs are able to stay in the box and focus primarily on any incoming crosses.
Transitions
Defensive
Forest have been one of the best teams in transition this season. In possession, they always have numbers high up and close to the ball, which is conducive to effective counter-pressing.
As evident from their games this season, Forest have been very aggressive in their press after losing the ball. The four or five players closest to the ball immediately jump on the opposition player in possession to close the distance and cut off passing lanes. This disrupts the opponent’s transition from defence to attack and forces errors, creating opportunities for Forest to regain control in dangerous areas. However, it requires exceptional fitness, tactical discipline, and teamwork.
Offensive
Espírito Santo always wants his team to counter-attack in offensive transitions. After winning the ball, Forest look to utilise the speed and movement of their forward players, preferring vertical passes to exploit spaces left by the opposition in the wide areas or between their defenders.
Forest’s counter-attacks are well-organised, with their players making intelligent off-the-ball runs to create overloads, supported by clinical finishing. This quick, direct style catches opponents off-guard, making the Tricky Trees very dangerous on the break.
Additionally, Forest players have been very efficient at finding open spaces in counter-attacks. Their aggressiveness off the ball means they always have players higher up the pitch when defending, which enables them to incorporate more players into their counter-attacks.
Final third
Attacking the half-space
This season, Forest have usually looked to create chances by attacking the space between the opposition centre-backs and fullbacks. When one of their wingers receives the ball out wide, his primary role is to attract the fullback. This opens up the space between the fullback and the centre-back, allowing another Forest player to make an underlapping run into the space to either deliver a cross into the box or attack his defender in a 1v1 situation.
The winger doesn’t always have to play the ball to the underlapping player. The run itself often drags away an opposition midfielder, opening up space in the middle, where the winger can then take the ball.
Overlaps
Forest have also been using overlaps as a key tactic to create goalscoring opportunities under Espírito Santo. This involves their fullbacks making forward runs to get around their winger, providing an extra attacking option on the flanks and creating a 2v1 situation against the opposition fullback.
This forces the defending fullback to either stick with the winger or follow the overlapping fullback. If he chooses the latter, the winger can cut inside, while if he chooses the former, the ball can easily be played to the overlapping player, creating a crossing opportunity.
Crowding the box
For their attacking play, Forest focus on getting multiple players into the box to create overloads and increase their chances of scoring. In their current setup, the wingers, midfielders, and sometimes even the fullbacks look to make aggressive runs into the box. This numerical advantage increases their chances of connecting with a cross, making it harder for the opposition defenders to mark everyone effectively.
Having players in the box also allows for better positioning for second balls and rebounds. Espírito Santo also positions his midfielders and fullbacks outside the box, ready for the second balls and cut-backs.
Putting more crosses into the box also pushes opposition defenders deeper inside, opening up space at the edge of the box, where Forest players can collect any loose balls or be found directly with cut-backs.
Conclusion
With half of the 2024/25 season behind us, Nuno Espírito Santo’s approach is clear—a concoction of structured defensive resilience with selective offensive opportunities has resulted in a team who are difficult to break down and capable of capitalising on the counter.
In a way, Forest have succeeded by rejecting the last 10–15 years of tactical development and recognising that there are ways to exploit the overarching tactical structure of the English top flight with a system that happens to have a lot in common with the most popular strategies of the nineties and noughties.
Forest have provided a blueprint for the smaller teams to compete with their wealthier opponents. The superclubs have spent over a decade dedicating themselves to a narrow technical and tactical vision, recruiting and training players to play a compact passing game. After all, we got here because the likes of Guardiola and Klopp showed us ways that could deliver sustained success while playing aesthetically pleasing and technically impressive football.
Now that an alternative tactical approach is bearing fruit, one has to wonder how long other teams like Forest will take to adapt. Espírito Santo has shown us a way that is much more simple and direct and yet can win matches. If the Tricky Trees can sustain their success in 2025, other teams will follow their blueprint soon enough.
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