Behind the scenes at Nottingham Forest: Late fines, ‘homework’ and baked beans still on menu

Special report: Telegraph Sport granted unrivalled access as Nuno’s men prepare for Chelsea this weekend

Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten run in the Premier League may have come to an end last weekend, but inside the club the mood remains buoyant.
At their revamped training complex just over a mile away from the City Ground, Forest are preparing to face Chelsea this weekend as they hunt another famous scalp.
Last month, Nuno Espirito Santo masterminded the club’s first win over Liverpool at Anfield since 1969 and there is huge optimism about the season ahead.
Telegraph Sport was given exclusive behind-the-scenes access at Forest’s headquarters this week to take a closer look at how the club is evolving in the top division.
Shortly after the frustrating home defeat by Fulham – which ended Forest’s unbeaten league start – Nuno and his coaching staff were already preparing for the week ahead.
A few hours after the final whistle last Saturday, the weekly schedule was WhatsApped to the players by the coaching staff.
Nuno usually prefers a five-day unbroken build-up towards a game so with Forest facing Chelsea this Sunday, the players were off on Monday.
The work doesn’t stop, though. Every player who featured against Fulham received two-minute clips that fit in with their individual development plans to analyse at home.
When the players return to training, the first day usually focuses on the last game. After the famous Liverpool win, the intention was to get the players back to reality quickly: “Let’s climb the wheel again” is how Nuno describes it.
We are invited to attend on a Thursday morning, when training starts at 11am. Ryan Yates, the resident barista at the popular new coffee machine, is first out as always, on a glorious day with the rain finally disappearing.
Training lasts for approximately 80 minutes and starts with a tactical possession-based drill to cover the principles of play. Teams of seven are put together to enhance connections between players.
Nuno likes to vary sessions with his coaching staff. Some drills involve isolating two centre-backs without full-backs who are then subjected to intense pressure from attacking players.
This is to ensure they are ready for a match situation where the full-backs may have been caught further up the field after a turnover leads to a counter-attack.
Defensive high lines are becoming far more prevalent in the Premier League, so small-sided sessions with just centre-backs and forwards with no midfielders are staged, to perfect the long pass and break offsides.
Since the introduction of VAR, there is now even more emphasis on the timings of runs, forward movements and when defenders step up.
Goalkeepers train away from the outfield players with coach Rui Barbosa. There is a familiar face in former goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, now a free agent but a popular figure and still training with the club to help Matz Sels and Carlos Miguel.
A major change since Nuno’s arrival in December has been to invite the analysts to observe training. Nuno believes the analysts can only learn about his philosophy and game model by watching it with their own eyes, as opposed to remotely or with the help of drones.
One of the analysts, Axl Rice, has now taken on the role of set-piece specialist. Dead-ball situations will be studied in greater detail on Friday.
For this Sunday’s match, the squad will be split into offensive and defensive groups for meetings the night before the match.
The crucial work is usually done on the morning of the game, to ensure the plan sticks in the mind. Can Nuno secure another memorable away win?
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is desperate to elevate Forest to the ranks of elite clubs and a major focus of investment has been the Nigel Doughty Academy training ground.
Millions of pounds have been spent to improve the pitches and facilities, including a new canteen, gymnasium and physiotherapy room.
One crucial change has been to move the gym next to the physios: in recent times, Forest had an unworkable situation where injured players would have to walk up a flight of stairs to receive treatment.
In the gym, Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams are warming up for training with a game of foot tennis. Behind them, the wall bears the words: “Never never give up”, a motto favoured by Marinakis at his Greek club Olympiacos.
On the wall next to that reads: “Dream Love Create Fight Survive Win’, which is also tattooed on Marinakis’ left arm.
In the canteen, the menu is varied and devised by the club’s chef who works closely with the nutritionists.
On Thursday there were the choices of Kerala cod or Greek-inspired chicken breast with a tzatziki side. There are far more basic items too, with the old favourite of baked beans also available.
On Wednesday, a team photo was arranged for the players but Nuno insisted on the training-ground staff also being included.
The environment around Forest’s complex is very tight-knit, where everyone is encouraged to feel part of the club.
Nuno prefers to work with a small, balanced squad of no more than 21 players.
This is so every player feels they have a chance to play or be included in the matchday squad. He believes any more than 21 players risks damaging the atmosphere.
Nuno’s key words which are always heard in meetings and on the training pitches are ‘interconnection’ and ‘interdependence’.
One of his biggest issues is when he suspects a player is deviating from the group’s philosophy.
Another major irritation is lateness, but Nuno leaves the fines system to senior players such as Morgan Gibbs-White and Yates to police themselves.
Forest’s victory over Liverpool was a historic one for the club’s supporters, and branded as a “masterclass” from Nuno and his staff.
The gameplan for that victory was devised at the training ground by closely watching Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Manchester United on Sept 1.
In Liverpool’s romp at Old Trafford, the first two goals were scored after mistakes by midfielder Casemiro in the middle of the United half.
Forest’s staff made it clear that the prime objective was to keep possession higher up the field, to prevent Liverpool’s intense pressing from depriving them of the ball in damaging areas.
In the 2-2 draw at Brighton on Sept 22, it was noted before the game that the home team had caught the opposition offside more than any other team in the league.
Nuno felt that speed, and attempting to break through Brighton’s offside trap, would be crucial so Anthony Elanga – the second-fastest player behind Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven so far this season – and Callum Hudson-Odoi started the game.
Last weekend against Fulham, Nuno opted to start those wingers from the bench and play with two forwards in an attempt to unsettle Marco Silva’s midfield.
It didn’t work on this occasion, though Forest were without the suspended Gibbs-White who is regarded as a unique player and the equivalent of Cole Palmer to Chelsea.
Gibbs-White will return at Stamford Bridge this weekend and was named in Lee Carsley’s England squad again on Thursday.
It is perhaps only now that Forest’s recruitment is earning more respect from outside the city.
While there have been over 50 signings since promotion, the likes of Hudson-Odoi (£3m from Chelsea) Murillo (£10.2m from Corinthians), Nikola Milenkovic (£10.1m from Fiorentina) and free transfer Ola Aina, who is set for talks over a new contract soon, have been excellent additions.
This summer, Nuno made it clear that more wingers were needed. Last season there was barely any depth in the position so Divock Origi, an underwhelming loan signing from AC Milan, was often employed on the flanks. It’s fair to say it was a frustration for the coaching staff.
Forest worked on signing a “manipulative” winger (a player that can become involved with play in midfield, like Hudson-Odoi) and another pacy winger with old-school attributes who attacks full-backs like Elanga.
Ramon Sosa (£10m from Talleres) and Jota Silva (£5.8m from Vitoria) both arrived in August.
Preparations for the January transfer window and next summer are already well advanced, with flexibility in the event of injuries.
Forest are currently without midfielders Ibrahim Sangaré and Danilo, who could both return around Christmas time.
The recruitment team and analysts are based at the training ground and City Ground, with chief football officer Ross Wilson overseeing operations across the academy and first team.
Wilson has previously worked with Rangers and Southampton and has been instrumental in implementing a defined structure over the past 18 months.
This season, 20 video scouts have been employed specifically to observe players identified by data. It is a modern approach that falls in line with most forward-thinking Premier League clubs.
Another huge positive for Nuno over pre-season was the retention of his ‘base’ of key players. There was interest from rival clubs in Murillo, Gibbs-White, Elanga and Hudson-Odoi, but Marinakis insisted on keeping them.
This then enabled Nuno to “fix the house”, as he describes it, by making additions in other key areas.
After two successive battles against relegation, Forest are hoping for a brighter future.
Marinakis’ ultimate goal is to take the club back into Europe, after those famous European Cup wins under Brian Clough.
It may be a pipe dream at the moment, but Marinakis only needs to consider Aston Villa’s remarkable rise to realise how fast football can change.