Latest news with #EvangelosMarinakis
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Expect more big moves in readiness for Europe'
Here's my quick assessment of Nottingham Forest's Premier League season - and a return to my August prediction: 16thEnded the season: 7thThe fact there was even the mere talk of disappointment at missing out on the Champions League illustrates what a superb season Nottingham Forest have had under Nuno Espirito a strong position was wasted, but if you had offered any Forest fan solid safety at the start of the season, let alone European football, they would have signed up Chris Wood had the season of his life, while the coveted Morgan Gibbs-White was outstanding. Goalkeeper Matz Sels was top class, and defensive duo Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic provided the Evangelos Marinakis never hides his ambition, so expect more big moves in readiness for I said in August: "If Forest keep this squad together (and they are always looking to add), then I see them staying up."Read my assessments of the other 19 teams here
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
After Forest denied Gary Neville access to City Ground, what could implications be for broadcasters?
Up until only a handful of days before Nottingham Forest hosted Chelsea on the final day of the Premier League season, Sky Sports had planned to present the match live from the City Ground. After all, it was the marquee game of the weekend given Liverpool had already sealed the title and Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town were heading back to the Championship. Advertisement The winner of Forest versus Chelsea would qualify for the Champions League. It was the story of the day — and that is why Sky Sports had chosen the City Ground to present their final-day coverage. But in the lead up to the fixture, which Chelsea won 1-0 to earn a spot in Europe's elite club competition, Forest denied access to Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England defender turned Sky Sports pundit. This led to the broadcaster reversing its decision to present from the City Ground, instead opting to film at its west London studios. Neville labelled the club's decision to deny him access an 'unprecedented action'. It is important to note Forest have not breached Premier League rules. Top-flight clubs have the autonomy to grant matchday accreditation as they please. The backdrop to this is that Neville was critical of Evangelos Marinakis, Forest's owner, after he entered the pitch to speak with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after a 2-2 draw against Leicester City earlier this month. Neville suggested Nuno should contemplate leaving the club following the incident, before calling Marinakis' actions 'scandalous'. After the match, Nuno said the incident was Marinakis showing his passion for Forest, while the owner mirrored these comments on Instagram and stated it was an injury to forward Taiwo Awoniyi that concerned him. Awoniyi would eventually be placed into an induced coma after the injury and undergo emergency surgery on his abdomen. A few days later, the club posted on X, saying Marinakis went on to the pitch because he is so 'personally and emotionally invested' in the situation surrounding Awoniyi. This incident followed a previous outburst from Neville that led to Sky apologising to Forest in July for 'any offence caused' after he accused the club of acting like a 'mafia gang' following their 2-0 loss at Everton in April 2024. Advertisement Forest had sent a legal letter to Sky in the wake of Neville's comments, which came after the club had publicly criticised the officiating during their defeat at Goodison Park. However, the elephant in the room is that Sky Sports has pumped billions of pounds into the Premier League via broadcast deals, with Forest and all other clubs benefiting greatly from those TV rights sales. So what could be the implications of Forest's decision to deny Neville access to their ground? 'It feels slightly odd in this day and age that a broadcaster that's spending billions of pounds on Premier League rights can't take its number one commentator into the ground,' David Murray, a sports rights and negotiation advisor who spent more than a decade as the BBC's head of sports rights, tells The Athletic. 'I can see Sky not being happy with that and pushing the Premier League to change the rules next time the tender happens.' Over the weekend, Premier League sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, noted how there hadn't been any discussions between the league and Sky over changes to the rules that would prevent this from happening in the future. Conversations to that effect will likely take place in the coming weeks, although top-flight clubs would need to agree to any changes. Sky, as you would expect of a significant broadcast partner, is regularly in dialogue with the league and this will undoubtedly come up in conversation. 'It's simply not acceptable for clubs to dictate who should be the pundits,' Roger Mosey, previously head of BBC Television News and director of the corporation's coverage of the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, says. 'There's no justification for Nottingham Forest's action. Sky Sports commentators should be free to say what they like, in the interests of fans and viewers.' Advertisement Another former seasoned TV executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, doubted Sky will 'make a big deal of it'. 'It will likely be regarded as a one-off reaction from an angry owner,' they said. 'But Sky will no doubt register their dissatisfaction with the Premier League to avoid any recurrences.' After it emerged Neville had been denied access, he released a statement on Instagram. 'I've dished out my fair share of criticism and praise in the last 14 years of doing this job and have never come close to this unprecedented action,' it read. 'Personally, I think it's disappointing a great club like Nottingham Forest have been reduced to making such a decision. 'Whilst they have every right to choose who they let into their own stadium, it's symptomatic of things that have happened over the last 12 months with the club.' This isn't the first time a Premier League club has denied access to an important broadcaster, though. Although the BBC was granted access to Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium, Sir Alex Ferguson, United's former manager, boycotted the corporation between 2004 and 2011 after the BBC made allegations against Jason Ferguson, his son, in a TV documentary. 'It was a massive issue because the BBC's Match of the Day didn't have access to the biggest draw, so they were constantly lobbying the Premier League, but the Premier League didn't do anything about it,' Murray, then at the BBC, says. 'For whatever reason, they presumably didn't think it was worth picking the fight with Manchester United. 'That was going on in the early 2000s, so the fact that it's still going on now and the broadcast contract doesn't reflect that the broadcasters' needs in terms of access ultimately demonstrates the power of the Premier League when they sell their rights.' At the most extreme end of the table, if a resolution cannot be found between Sky Sports, Nottingham Forest and the Premier League, then the broadcaster could just decide against screening live games from the City Ground. Each club receives a facility fee just shy of £1million ($1.36m) when they are shown live in the United Kingdom, so Sky opting to only show the minimum number of games (10) they are required to would hit Forest in the pocket. Advertisement That said, it's incredibly unlikely Sky Sports, or any broadcaster for that matter, would take such action. From next season, Sky Sports will increase the number of top-flight games it shows from 128 to at least 215 as part of the new four-year broadcast deal that kicks in. A sensible resolution in Murray's eyes would be for a new agreement to be signed between the Premier League and its broadcasters. 'Long term, I think Sky will probably be a bit more insistent on the clauses in the broadcast deal as to what they can and can't do because they can't have key members of their team being banned from big games when they're paying such ridiculous amounts,' Murray says. And more than two decades on from when Ferguson stopped talking to the BBC, Murray is staggered that nothing has changed from a contractual sense. 'I'm surprised the clubs still do have that power,' he remarked. 'In an ideal world, the clubs wouldn't have a choice because it would be written into the broadcast agreement and if there was any kind of issue around a particular person, then that would be a conversation between the Premier League and the broadcaster. 'The fact that a club, which is just one of 20 when it comes to the broadcast deal, still has that amount of power is fairly extraordinary.' (Top photos: Getty Images)
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The awkward logic behind Nottingham Forest's next major decision
Chelsea did what truly mattered on the final day of the Premier League season, winning and securing a place in next season's Champions League. Now, Nottingham Forest are left to wonder about it all, settling for the Conference League to leave a mood of plaintive appreciation at the City Ground. There were a few shots of their scowling owner, Evangelos Marinakis. Advertisement The Greek businessman didn't come onto the pitch in the manner he has made so notorious of late, but Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly did. The American hedge-fund manager ostentatiously celebrated Champions League qualification with the squad, the club returning to the competition for the first time in three years. 'Very proud,' Enzo Maresca said. 'We brought this club where this club has to be, the most important competition.' The Italian also indulged in a bit of a victory lap, even saying 'eff off to all' of the team's critics. He stopped himself from actually swearing when he remembered he had his young daughter sitting in front of him for the press conference. Advertisement Forest have qualified for Europe for the first time since 1995-96, but that is only after a campaign where they spent a long period in the top three, and looked like getting back into the Champions League for the first time since they were European champions in 1980-81. Nuno did make sure to add that they should also be 'proud'. They have significantly overperformed, even if it ended up underwhelming. A little like some of the manager's football and the season as a whole, there were no fireworks on this final day. It says much that five clubs were going for the last three Champions League places, and only two of them won. One was Chelsea, who properly dug in after Levi Colwill's 49th-minute strike. Maresca actually lamented how so much of modern football discussion is results-based, but this was all about just getting over the line. Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis in the stands (Action Images via Reuters) You could see it in their football on the day, and the focus. Maresca said the only time he was informed of results elsewhere was when Manchester United went 2-0 up against Aston Villa late on, which all but secured Chelsea's place in the Champions League. Advertisement In truth, they'd looked comfortable for most of the day. Part of that was how they were playing, and a fairly compact performance. Pedro Neto was excellent for the goal in teeing up Colwill. Marc Cucurella was solid as ever. Enzo Fernandez continues to evolve into a real leader. In Maresca's press conference, where he was at his most charismatic all season, he was quick to point out that Chelsea managed all of this with the Premier League's youngest-ever squad. It was actually confirmed before the game that the average age of Chelsea's starting XI in the Premier League this season (24 years and 36 days) is the youngest-ever by a team in a single campaign in the competition. Advertisement Two things should be noted about the result. Maresca's line about 'where this club has to be' was correct in a few senses. Chelsea are so wealthy that they should still be a club that reaches the Champions League, especially when England has the absurdity of allowing five in. In the same way that they won on the day, however, Chelsea also finished in the top four. Maresca's grand riposte still might have been a touch excessive: 'The doubt was from outside. All the ones that have the answers or the ones that have the truth, they were saying that we are too young, we are not good enough, they were waiting for Aston Villa to drop points for us to achieve the Champions League. They were saying that we were not able to win on this pitch because we are too young, because we are not experienced. Unfortunately for them, they have all been wrong. All the ones that have the truth and have the answer to everything. So in English, how you say? Eff off to all of them, because the players deserve that.' Chelsea's Levi Colwill celebrates scoring the opening goal (PA Wire) The season will look even better if they win the Conference League on Wednesday, but there is another financial footnote there. A fair argument exists that clubs from the big five leagues shouldn't even be in the competition, and Chelsea also have an immense financial advantage over most of those, like their final opponents Real Betis. Advertisement It is about a par performance for the season given their financial power, even if it obviously won't feel like that for the fans, or Maresca or Boehly. This isn't to be churlish but it is the framing of modern football that ownerships like this have ensured. Chelsea's own PSR considerations have been significantly eased. There was then the other theme of the day. Forest just never looked like scoring. The pre-game table ensured they had to be the team to take the initiative here, and they just couldn't really do it. Even when Chris Wood was given a 94th-minute chance just yards out, you couldn't quite see it happening. You could see why Forest's season has gone as it has, mind, almost split into parts. Advertisement When they were on that streak in the first few months, such a chance would have been seized. It was the same with another Wood opportunity in the opening minutes. Nottingham Forest's Ryan Yates croches dejected (Richard Sellers/PA Wire) His streak is over, though, and so is Forest's. A European run is possible, which shouldn't be forgotten. Chelsea may have done too much in modern times for the Conference League, but Forest will value it. They can also have a real go at winning it. As to whether Nuno is the man for that, that is where there is now a bigger discussion, which he was directly asked about after the game. The Portuguese clearly did well for the moment. He has overachieved. Advertisement That doesn't mean the moment hasn't passed, though. The underlying numbers show Forest should have finished 14th. People might scoff at that and point to the table, but these figures are usually borne out over a longer period of time. That is probably what we have seen with Forest's slide from, briefly, second to seventh. Nottingham Forest's Nikola Milenkovic looks dejected after the game (Richard Sellers/PA Wire) Nuno spoke afterwards as if he was expecting a difficult conversation, and even spoke of a 'bad day' like this. You wouldn't have quite guessed that from the supporters' hearty applause afterwards, but you would from Marinakis's facial expression in the final minutes. And here's an awkward little thought experiment. Advertisement If Marinakis were to change manager, it would likely be presented as harsh, and typical of his type of owner. But would there not be a logic? Could it not be akin to Bournemouth going for Andoni Iraola or similar? Nuno's football was revelatory for one moment, in terms of how it was an approach that many clubs had forgotten how to deal with. It looks like it has since been rumbled. He and some Forest fans would, of course, say the manager now deserves his chance. Whatever happens, Chelsea deserve their Champions League place. They, unlike most rivals, did what was required.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How Nottingham Forest returned to Europe after 30 years: Building blocks, unity… and Ludo
There were only a smattering of empty seats at the City Ground, as the Nottingham Forest fans waited to give their players a deserved ovation at the end of a remarkable season. But on the pitch and in the stands, shoulders were slightly slumped, the volume not quite what it might have been. After the final whistle of a 1-0 home loss to fellow Champions League hopefuls Chelsea on Sunday evening, Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis wore a face of frustration, an emotion shared by around 27,000 others in the building. Advertisement Striker Taiwo Awoniyi got a warm reception as he walked around the pitch, following his recent abdominal surgery after getting injured in a collision with the goalpost while trying to score a late winner in the recent draw with Leicester City here. When head coach Nuno Espirito Santo emerged from the tunnel, there was a hearty chant of 'Nuno, Nuno, Nuno!' But in the home dressing room afterwards, there was a sense of what might have been. When the dust settles, this campaign should be seen for what it is — an unquestioned success for a side that went from battling relegation in the previous two seasons to making a sustained push for Champions League football. They are the first team in the Premier League era to double their points tally from one campaign to the next, having collected 32 last time out and 65 now. As victorious Chelsea instead celebrate a return to European club football's top table, a place in the final qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League — the third tier of continental competition — come August does not feel like a fitting reward for such a season. 'We are disappointed. But in a couple of hours, you will look back and realise it's been good,' Nuno said in a brief post-match press conference. 'It is not easy for me to speak about all these things, because today is tough. We knew the last day was going to be tough for all the teams involved in this fight. We came short.' But this is a season that should be remembered as being the best Forest have had in 30 years. Here is the story of how it unfolded. The fierce sense of unity in the Forest dressing room is nothing new. It was there in the squad Nuno inherited from Steve Cooper. But it has blossomed since the Portuguese head coach took charge in December 2023. The secret? Winning more games of football has not done any harm. But there is far more to it than that. Advertisement The squad regularly go out for coffee together, they are encouraged to socialise after training. At the Nigel Doughty Academy, Ryan Yates is the resident barista at the well-stocked coffee station in the players' lounge. The lounge and canteen area was refurbished extensively to open it up and make it feel more sociable. A dart board was recently added to the pool table, table tennis table and PlayStation 5, which has added a fresh dynamic to the fierce but friendly competition among the players. The coaching staff are also fans of the arrows and chat via Bluetooth headphones while playing darts in their own homes. 'They will all be on a call together while they are playing,' says Yates. 'There will be three or four of them at a time having a game. The culture we have at the club… it comes from the staff as well. They bring the good vibes to the training ground as much as the players do. They are all part of it. 'At the training ground, the quality of everything has just gone up. They changed the canteen to be more open plan and brought in more kitchen staff, more physios, so the players could have everything they need. All just small things that really do make a difference. That obviously comes from the owner's investment and where he sees the club going.' Who is the best darts player? 'I'd put myself right up there,' says Yates, who does not yet have a darts nickname, but says he is open to ideas. There is an equal level of competition at the table tennis table, where Awoniyi is particularly proficient. On the PlayStation, the players play EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) — and the players take their in-game ratings seriously — but there is another unlikely game that has helped the players to bond… Ludo, a board game that was first patented in England in 1896. 'We play cards together… we play Ludo,' said Anthony Elanga in an interview with The Athletic. 'We had that unity last season, even when we were losing. Imagine what the spirit is like now, now that we are winning regularly? It is even better. Advertisement 'Now that things are going well, that only seems to be getting stronger. We have Ludo on the iPad. We play it every dinner time. People take it very seriously. Who is the best? I am not sure. But Willy Boly is the worst!' The senior players in the squad have a protective outlook over the younger members. Yates and Harry Toffolo, in particular, have put an arm around the shoulder of 19-year-old defender Zach Abbott. 'He has been a massive role model, Ryan. He is the person I lean on for advice,' Abbott tells The Athletic. 'He tells you how to deal with all sorts of things, including off the pitch. He has been a good friend to me. Toff has been the same. He just leads by example with the way he is around the place.' When Abbott made only his second Forest start in the high-pressure surroundings of the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley, both men played a part in calming his nerves. Yates was there when Nuno informed Abbott he would be playing a few days before. 'I woke up feeling a bit nervous,' said Abbott. 'When my name was read out before kick-off, all the Forest fans were cheering and Toff told me, 'They love you already', which just settled me down a bit. I felt as though I belonged there.' Morgan Gibbs-White regularly has the armband when Yates is not in the starting line-up. While he is not an old-fashioned style of leader, he is a respected figure. He is fiercely competitive. When he went on holiday with Elanga last summer, Gibbs-White would not let a game of padel finish before he had won. When the Forest players gathered in a pre-match huddle at Anfield in September, Yates delivered a simple message to his team-mates. 'We are a big club. But we are only a big club if we believe it.' The 1-0 win that followed, at a ground where they had not won since 1969, helped them do exactly that. Advertisement There are plenty of players within what Cooper would refer to as the 'leadership group', including Boly, Nikola Milenkovic, Chris Wood and Matz Sels. Many of the players also share a common bond through their faith, with Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ola Aina and Awoniyi all involved with the Ballers in God group, run by former Forest midfielder John Bostock. In the dressing room, Aina is one of the players who influences the mood the most. He is the joker who uses social media to gently rib his team-mates — see Hudson-Odoi getting flak for looking like a Teletubby or the cheeky footage of Nuno dancing — and Aina is also in charge of the music. 'He is one of the players who takes care of the good mood. How does he do that? He has good music. He has a good jukebox,' said Nuno in a recent press conference. 'As for the dancing, I need to have a word with him about that…' After retiring as a player, Nuno took his coaching badges when he was 36, in Largs, a Scottish coastal resort around 30 miles from Glasgow. When taking his first steps in management, Nuno liked to stand behind the goal to watch training, favouring the familiar vantage point he had enjoyed as a goalkeeper with Porto and Dynamo Moscow. But he has long since abandoned that habit for a more traditional position on the sideline. Sessions are short and sharp, normally lasting no longer than a 90-minute game. But they are intense. The players sleep well at night. Everything is meticulously planned. A lot of repetitive work is done to get players to a point where they react to specific situations during games instinctively. Some of what Nuno does is reactionary. But there is also often a well-thought-out reason for it, such as the slightly more exuberant celebrations following the FA Cup win against Ipswich Town at the City Ground in March, when the Forest manager carried Aina into the melee of celebrations in the middle of the pitch on his back. Just look at what that win means to Nuno Espírito Santo ♥️#EmiratesFACup — Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 3, 2025 Nuno is still the blunt, straight-talking and demanding character he has been throughout his managerial career. But he has allowed his warmer side to shine through. He expects fiercely high standards from his players on the training ground and in matches. Away from that, he is a more approachable, friendly character. He surprised his players by diving off the high board during the winter training camp in Dubai and has been known to play his handpan instrument in his office when players go and talk to him. Advertisement Having Rui Pedro Silva on his coaching staff has created a different dynamic from the last time he worked in the Premier League, in his short, ill-fated spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where the man who had been his assistant at Valencia, Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers was not part of his staff. Silva is a trusted figure whose opinion Nuno values. He also has a good relationship with the players. They speak about the strong bond among the playing group and the staff. 'It has been a season of progression. In those first two seasons, it was tough for everyone,' Neco Williams tells The Athletic. 'The squad was changing every window and we were not settled. 'I do believe a lot of it is togetherness. Not just the players, the staff as well. Even people who are not Forest fans can see how good the bond is.' When Awoniyi suffered an abdominal injury in the 2-2 draw with Leicester City on May 11 — leaving the striker requiring urgent surgery — it galvanised the players. They all recorded video messages for their stricken team-mate. They were sent together, so he could watch them all at once. When he was fit enough to have visitors beyond close family, the players came. There is a feeling in the dressing room that was a moment that brought the players closer together. It gave them an additional reason to win: do it for Taiwo. The team went to West Ham United last weekend on the back of just one victory in six Premier League matches — and desperate to win the game in tribute to their team-mate. Awoniyi messaged the team to tell them he was OK and urge them to secure the win that would extend their Champions League hopes to the final day. After the 2-1 victory, they celebrated by holding aloft a shirt with his name on it. When Nuno assessed his squad last summer, he made a decision not to put the cart before the horse. He decided on an identity that would best suit them. Then they got to work during the pre-season training camp in Murcia. 'It all started in Spain,' says Elanga. 'The manager gave us the idea of what he wants us to be. We do believe. That is our motto: to believe every time we step out on the pitch. If we win a game, when we return to training, his message is always the same: 'Well done, but now on to the next one'.' Advertisement Starting midway through last season, Nuno had found it hard to forge the kind of bond he wanted with his players, amid the physical and emotional intensity of a fight against relegation. But with the benefit of time, he gave Forest an identity. 'It started the moment Nuno walked through the door. He gave us that consistency, obviously he has emotions, but he was very consistent through the highs and the lows,' says Yates. 'He worked out what was best for our team. 'The quality we had in the dressing room last season was added to, with obviously fantastic additions. The whole culture of the club altered, just the small, small details that go a long way to making things like we're a really, really top club in the Premier League.' Forest have averaged just 40.91 per cent possession. Only Everton (40.68 per cent) and Ipswich (40.29 per cent) had less of the ball. But the combination of a new defensive resolve and the ability to hit teams on the break with electric counterattacks has made Forest entertaining to watch and ruthlessly effective. Their 10 away wins were double the combined total they managed in the two previous campaigns. Chris Wood has become the first 20-goal forward for Forest in the top flight since Stan Collymore in 1995. 'He is probably the simplest finisher I have ever known,' said Morato during an interview with journalists. 'He does not mess about with tricks or trying to do anything fancy. If you give him a chance, he puts it away. That is it.' Wood, Gibbs-White, Elanga and Hudson-Odoi have evolved into one of the most exciting attacking quartets in the country. Before the Chelsea game, Gibbs-White had registered seven goals and eight assists. Elanga had six goals and 11 assists. 'He has been the difference maker many times,' says Elanga of Gibbs-White. 'He sees things that other players can't.' Advertisement Forest — along with Crystal Palace — have scored the most set-piece goals, with 17. Villa were just behind with 16. The nine goals they conceded from free kicks and corners is a vast improvement on last time out, when the 22 they shipped was the most in the top flight. The capture of Milenkovic from Fiorentina for just £11million ($15m) is one of the best signings in the club's recent history. The centre-back partnership between the Serbian — the club's player of the season — and Murillo has evolved into one of the best in the country. 'They are both strong, they are both quick. Perhaps Murillo is technically stronger. But Milenkovic is all about physical strength, he fights so well and is so strong in the air,' said Morato. 'With Murillo, he has extra quality on the ball and extra patience in the build-up.' Abbott says it has been the perfect environment for him to learn. 'The defence has been a massive part of the team's rise. They have produced performances that Forest fans have not seen in the Premier League for years,' he says. The numbers are impressive, with Forest's defence having made 585 headed clearances and 1,183 clearances of all types (including goalkeeper punches) — both comfortably more than any other team. Milenkovic has also contributed five goals. Matz Sels, along with Arsenal goalkeeping counterpart David Raya, has won the Premier League Golden Glove award, having kept a division-best 13 clean sheets. The formula was enough to lift Forest into the top four in December, amid a run of six consecutive Premier League victories, including wins at Old Trafford and against Aston Villa at the City Ground. Forest subsequently beat Manchester City 1-0, hammered Brighton & Hove Albion 7-0 and completed double-successes over Manchester United and Tottenham. 'After the Christmas period, we thought: 'Wow, we've got something special going here',' says Yates. 'I know what this club is like when it picks up momentum.' Since the turn of the year, the Forest hierarchy have been preparing for Champions League football. Not because of any complacency that they would get there, but because they were aware of the scale of change that would be required if it happened. Following promotion to the Premier League, owner Evangelos Marinakis had been a fan of the Brighton model — of signing players from different markets, often for reasonable fees, but always those who will improve in quality and increase in value. Advertisement More recently, it has been the example of Aston Villa Forest have been more keen to emulate, as the prospect of European qualification became more realistic. But, while Villa have been competing in the Champions League this season, their journey to this point has been gradual. Unai Emery had an impressive first season in charge, leading Villa to seventh place and into the Conference League in 2022-23. Last season, they were knocked out of the competition by the eventual winners, Forest's sister club, Olympiacos. Their growth and the squad's steady improvement have come over an extended period, but Europa League football would have put Forest ahead of schedule. Champions League would have represented a giant leap forward. It is not the competition Forest wanted to be in, but Marinakis is aware that he could become the first owner to win the Conference League with two different clubs. Forest will go into the competition believing they can win it. That will be the intention. But there is more work to be done this summer. Forest have a starting XI capable of competing at the top end of the Premier League. Forest are aware they do not possess the strength in depth of Villa. When key players have been missing through injury or suspension — such as Wood, Aina, Hudson-Odoi and Gibbs-White, they have been badly missed. Recruitment has been a major factor in Forest's success and it will be pivotal again as they look to take another step forward. Ultimately, Forest were not able to break into the top six. And the finale to the campaign felt as though they hit the head of a snake on the top row on a game of snakes and ladders, to slide down the board at the last. But their seventh-placed finish represents progress. Do the players believe a dynasty can be built at the club under Nuno? Advertisement 'I can't see why not,' says Yates. 'Look at what he's achieved in his short period. If anything, it should be exciting to see what we can build further. 'There is just something about Forest. The City Ground, the fans, Mull of Kintyre… everything's come together this year. It feels like the promotion season. 'It took us a couple of years to find the stability but when this club gets momentum, it's unstoppable.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The awkward logic behind Nottingham Forest's next major decision
After Chelsea did what truly mattered on the final day of the Premier League season, winning and securing a place in next season's Champions League. Now, Nottingham Forest are left to wonder about it all, settling for the Conference League to leave a mood of plaintive appreciation at the City Ground. There were a few shots of their scowling owner, Evangelos Marinakis. The Greek businessman didn't come onto the pitch in the manner he has made so notorious of late, but Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly did. The American hedge-fund manager ostentatiously celebrated Champions League qualification with the squad, the club returning to the competition for the first time in three years. 'Very proud,' Enzo Maresca said. 'We brought this club where this club has to be, the most important competition.' The Italian also indulged in a bit of a victory lap, even saying 'eff off to all" of the team's critics. He stopped himself from actually swearing when he remembered he had his young daughter sat in front of him for the press conference. They have qualified for Europe for the first time since 1995-96, but that is only after a campaign where they spent a long period in the top three, and looked like getting back into the Champions League for the first time since they were European champions in 1980-81. Nuno did make sure to add that they should also be 'proud'. They have significantly overperformed, even if it ended up underwhelming. A little like some of the manager's football and the season as a whole, there were no fireworks on this final day. It says much that five clubs were going for the last three Champions League places, and only two of them won. One was Chelsea, who properly dug in after Levi Colwill's 49th-minute strike. Maresca actually lamented how so much of modern football discussion is results-based, but this was all about just getting over the line. You could see it in their football on the day, and the focus. Maresca said the only time he was informed of results elsewhere was when Manchester United went 2-0 up against Aston Villa late on, which all but secured Chelsea's place in the Champions League. In truth, they'd looked comfortable for most of the day. Part of that was how they were playing, and a fairly compact performance. Pedro Neto was excellent for the goal to tee up Colwill. Marc Cucurella was solid as ever. Enzo Fernandez continues to evolve into a real leader. In Maresca's press conference, where he came across at his most charismatic all season, the manager was quick to point out that Chelsea managed all of this with the Premier League's youngest-ever squad. It was actually confirmed before the game that the average age of Chelsea's starting XI in the Premier League this season (24 years and 36 days) is the youngest-ever by a team in a single campaign in the competition. Two things can both be true: Maresca's line about 'where this club has to be' was correct in a few senses. Chelsea are so wealthy that they should still be a club that reach the Champions League, especially when we have the absurdity of allowing five in. In the same way that they won on the day, however, Chelsea also finished in the top four. Maresca's grand riposte still might have been a touch far: 'The doubt was from outside. All the ones that have the answers or the ones that have the truth, they were saying that we are too young, we are not good enough, they were waiting for Aston Villa to drop points for us to achieve the Champions League. They were saying that we were not able to win on this pitch because we are too young, because we are not experienced. Unfortunately for them, they have all been wrong. All the ones that have the truth and have the answer to everything. So in English, how you say? Eff-off to all of them, because the players deserve that.' The season will look even better if they win the Conference League on Wednesday, but there is another financial footnote there. A fair argument exists that clubs from the big five leagues shouldn't even be in the competition, and Chelsea also have an immense financial advantage over most of those - like their final opponents Real Betis. It is about a par performance for the season given financial power, even if it obviously won't feel like that for the fans - or Maresca or Boehly. This isn't to be churlish but it is the framing of modern football that ownerships like this have ensured. Chelsea's own PSR considerations have been significantly eased. There was then the other part of the day. Forest just never looked like scoring. The pre-game table ensured they had to be the team to take the initiative here and they just couldn't really do it. Even when Chris Wood was given a 94th-minute chance just yards out, you couldn't quite see it. You could see why Forest's season has gone as it has, mind, almost split into parts. When they were on that streak in the first few months, such a chance would have been seized. It was the same with another Wood opportunity in the opening minutes. His streak is over, though, and so is Forest's. A European run is possible, which shouldn't be forgotten. Chelsea may have done too much in modern times for the Conference League but Forest can value it. They can also have a real go at winning it. As to whether Nuno is the man for that, that is where there is now a bigger discussion, that he was directly asked about after the game. The Portuguese clearly did well for the moment. He has overachieved. That doesn't mean the moment hasn't passed, though. The underlying numbers show Forest should have finished 14th. People might scoff at that and point to the table, but these figures are usually borne out over a longer period of time. That is probably what we have seen with Forest's slide from - a brief - second to seventh. Nuno spoke afterwards as if he was expecting a difficult conversation, and even spoke of a 'bad day' like this. You wouldn't have quite guessed that from the supporters' hearty applause afterwards, but you would from Marinakis' facial expression in the final minutes. And here's an awkward little thought experiment. If Marinakis were to change manager, it would likely be presented as harsh, and typical of his type of owner. But would there not be a logic? Could it not be akin to Bournemouth going for Andoni Iraola or similar. Nuno's football was revelatory for one moment, in terms of how it was an approach that many clubs had forgotten how to solve. It looks like it has since been rumbled. He and some Forest fans would of course say the manager now deserves his chance. Whatever happens, Chelsea deserve their Champions League place. They, unlike most rivals, did what was required.
