
Nottingham Forest news: Are Reds better without the ball?
For more than a decade, those watching from the stands and through screens have been led to believe that possession-based football is the holy grail when pursuing success.
With Barcelona's tiki-taka and the tactics brought to the Premier League by Pep Guardiola, more and more teams have prioritised this 'easy on the eye' style of play.
And while it is hard to argue with the success of the La Liga giants and Manchester City's recent trophy-laden years, it is not something that works for everyone.
A number of teams have fallen foul of this obsession to build up play from the back and keep-ball over counter-attack.
But, it is a mould Nottingham Forest have been trying to break this season.
The Reds sit sixth in the table and just two points off a Champions League spot - this despite having the second-lowest average possession in the league so far this campaign (39.97%).
From relegation candidates to European place contenders in less than 12 months, they have built this progress, not on possession, but on a solid defence and ability to be clinical on the counter-attack.
The East Midlands side are joint-fourth for goals conceded (42) and sit only one place and one fewer than newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool for clean sheets (13).
There have been few occasions this term where Forest have been equal to or had more possession than their opponent.
Their draw at Crystal Palace on Monday night was one such occasion. Despite having more of the ball, they struggled to really create quality chances and, had Eberechi Eze's late effort dipped a couple of inches lower, they may have come away empty handed.
There have been 28 games in the league when Nuno Espirito Santo's side have had under 50% of the possession this season, of which they have gone on to win 15 - a win percentage of 54%.
In a much smaller sample size, there have been just seven occasions in which they have had 50% or more possession and from those they have won three games, giving them a win percentage of 43%.
While they understandably concede less per game when they have more of the ball (0.86 compared to 1.29), they do tend to score more when they have less possession (1.61 compared to 1.29 per game).
In fact, when looking at how they fared in the match they had least possession in this campaign, they scored three times in a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
In contrast, in the game where they had the ball the most - at home to Brentford - they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat.
When everyone else is trying to move more towards the possession-based grain, going against it could be what secures Forest European football for the first time in more than 40 years.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers in hilarious pics from Las Vegas stag do
Arsenal ace David Raya was joined by other footballers UP IN THE AIR UP IN THE AIR Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers in hilarious pics from Las Vegas stag do ARSENAL ace David Raya jetted off to Las Vegas for his stag do with close friends. Raya, 29, helped the Gunners finish second in the Premier League with some solid performances between the sticks that also contributed to his team's run to the Champions League semi-finals. Advertisement 8 Arsenal ace David Raya flew to Las Vegas for his stag do 8 Raya was joined by his brother, a comedian and some LaLiga footballers 8 Raya dressed as an air stewardess and served cookies to fellow passengers 8 Raya shared a series of snaps from his trip to Las Vegas ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest rumours from the Emirates But now the goalkeeper is gearing up for his wedding with model fiancee Tatiana Trouboul. The Spain international proposed to Tatiana in October of last year and they are now set to marry. And the Spain international has kicked off the wedding preparations with a bachelor party in Sin City. Advertisement Raya was joined by his brother Oscar as well as Spanish comedian Tomas Garcia Serrano. A number of footballers also linked up with them including Getafe's Diego Rico Salguero as well as Rayo Vallecano's Adri Embarba and Unai Lopez. All of them took to the streets of Vegas wearing Arsenal gear and taking group photos. But before making it to the US, Raya was pictured dressed as an air stewardess during the flight. Advertisement The keeper appeared to be serving other passengers cookies on board the aircraft. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Join SUN CLUB for the Arsenal Files every Friday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from The Emirates Tatiana and Raya have been together since 2021 but left it until June 2022 to go public with their relationship. Advertisement The model heralds from Barcelona but has since moved her life to London to be alongside Raya. Arsenal star David Raya cosies up to model fiancee on yacht as she leaves little to imagination in see-through tights She previously divided her time between the capital and Spain. 8 Raya is engaged to model fiancee Tatiana Trouboul Credit: Instagram @ 8 Raya and Tatiana have been together since June 2021 Credit: Instagram @ @ Advertisement 8 Raya proposed to Tatiana last year Credit: X formerly Twitter / @DavidRaya_22 / Instagram / @


The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Arsenal star David Raya dresses as an air stewardess and serves passengers in hilarious pics from Las Vegas stag do
ARSENAL ace David Raya jetted off to Las Vegas for his stag do with close friends. Raya, 29, helped the Gunners finish second in the Premier League with some solid performances between the sticks that also contributed to his team's run to the Champions League semi-finals. 8 8 8 8 But now the goalkeeper is gearing up for his wedding with model fiancee Tatiana Trouboul. The Spain international proposed to Tatiana in October of last year and they are now set to marry. And the Spain international has kicked off the wedding preparations with a bachelor party in Sin City. Raya was joined by his brother Oscar as well as Spanish comedian Tomas Garcia Serrano. A number of footballers also linked up with them including Getafe's Diego Rico Salguero as well as Rayo Vallecano's Adri Embarba and Unai Lopez. All of them took to the streets of Vegas wearing Arsenal gear and taking group photos. But before making it to the US, Raya was pictured dressed as an air stewardess during the flight. The keeper appeared to be serving other passengers cookies on board the aircraft. Tatiana and Raya have been together since 2021 but left it until June 2022 to go public with their relationship. The model heralds from Barcelona but has since moved her life to London to be alongside Raya. Arsenal star David Raya cosies up to model fiancee on yacht as she leaves little to imagination in see-through tights She previously divided her time between the capital and Spain. 8 8 8 8


BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hundreds sign petition over Birmingham Alexander Stadium management plan
More than 700 people have signed a petition calling on Birmingham City Council "to halt the planned handover" of the running of the Alexander venue formed the centrepiece of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but now is at the centre of a row between its owners, the local authority, and local want a public consultation into plans to hand the running of the site and attached gym to Birmingham Community Leisure Trust (BCLT) and its partners Serco until council said the site would remain in public ownership, but like other leisure venues would be run on its behalf by BCLT, which had a "proven track record" in improving public participation while lowering costs. The stadium was revamped with more than £70m of public funding in preparation for the Commonwealth Games, with politicians, including then Prime Minister Theresa May promising it would benefit the local organisers have called for local residents and gym users to be able to have their say on the proposals. 'Best value' Petition organiser Andrew Gulliver cited a report to the council's cabinet in March, which said no "further consultation has been undertaken" over the proposed contract change. The report said the council had a contract with BCLT for operating other leisure centres and the proposal to incorporate managing the stadium would secure "best value" from the remaining time of the contract until the petition statement asks the authority to commit to exploring alternative management options, including a "council-run, non-profit or community-led model that can meet savings targets".The March local authority report said under the plans the stadium would attract more users, leading to higher membership and usage fees that would deliver a £300,000 a year saving. It said it was essential the facility "transitions to its most efficient and effective operating model" and outsourcing management would mean better "community engagement".The authority told the BBC it had agreed to establish a gym user group with council and BCLT representatives "to work through issues and concerns". Planned improvements included a new 120-station health and fitness suite, a new artificial pitch for football and rugby, a new cycle studio and a refurbished indoor athletics hall, it completed stadium regeneration "delivers a lasting" Games legacy in promoting sport and recreation "for not just the people of Perry Barr but the whole city", the council said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.