Nuno Espirito Santo will have a big decision to make in the coming days as he prepares his side for the visit of Fulham.
Nottingham Forest are aiming to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign when Marco Silva brings his in-form team to the City Ground, but they will have to do so without their head coach in the dugout — and, on the pitch, their key attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White — after both were sent off during a dramatic finale to their 2-2 draw at Brighton on Sunday.
Gibbs-White is one of Forest’s most creative players and their most natural fit in the No 10 role in the 4-2-3-1 formation Nuno utilises regularly.
The 24-year-old will only be missing for one game, but that is still a headache for Nuno as he looks to conjure up another successful game plan without Forest’s talisman.
Here, The Athletic assesses what Nuno may do on Saturday before he takes a seat in the stands himself.
Pushing Elliot Anderson forward
Ask Elliot Anderson where he would like to play and he will tell you that he regards himself as being an orthodox No 8. Ask those who have worked with him where he is capable of playing and you will get a broader answer.
The England under-21 international, who signed from Newcastle for what was effectively a fee of £15million this summer, is a hugely flexible performer.
During the first five games of the campaign, Anderson has played in a few different positions for Forest and generally thrived in all of them. More often than not, that has been either as one of the deeper-lying two or as the left-sided attacking midfielder.
But, in pre-season, he did also play as a No 10 and did not look out of place.
Anderson’s stats underline exactly what he is: a player comfortable with both sides of the game.
According to FBref and comparing Anderson against Premier League players who operated in the same position during the 2023-24 season, his average of 3.24 progressive carries per 90 minutes places him in the 91st percentile. His 1.84 successful take-ons per 90 again place him in the 91st percentile, while he averages 4.03 touches in the opposition penalty area.
He has the confidence and creativity on the ball to fill the void left by Gibbs-White, but it is his other attributes that also make him perfectly suited to a deeper-lying midfield role — where injuries to Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare have also left a big hole.
Anderson’s 2.02 blocks per 90 put him in the 93rd percentile, while he averages 2.02 clearances per 90 (88th percentile).
He did produce one hesitant moment of defending at Brighton that almost allowed Danny Welbeck to plunder a second goal and he was substituted in the 59th minute following a performance that did not reach his usual high standards, but even so, Nuno might be reluctant to shift him from his deeper role.
Although, if he did decide to move Anderson further up the pitch, James Ward-Prowse and Ryan Yates did form a very impressive midfield partnership during Forest’s 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
A first league start for Jota?
Jota Silva’s four Premier League appearances have all been off the bench so far following his move from Vitoria de Guimaraes in August, but he was a central figure — in more senses than one — at The Amex Stadium.
Jota had a brief spell out on the flank after coming off the bench at half-time, but was quickly switched into a more central role after Chris Wood had been substituted.
The timing of his darting run down the left-hand channel — and his unselfishness to square the ball for Ramon Sosa — was the catalyst for the equalising goal.
“He is a player who can play all three positions up front,” says Moreno Teixeira, the coach who gave Jota his first-team opportunity at Vitoria and who coached him during the 2022-23 season. “He’s a player with excellent performance: capable of playing as a striker, behind the No 9 or on the wings due to his technique, speed, strength, ability to finish and the correct timing of his breaks. He’s also very committed without the ball.”
Jota scored 11 goals and contributed six assists for Vitoria in the Portuguese Primeira Liga last season. The 25-year-old has already demonstrated his finishing power for Forest with his emphatically taken goal in the Carabao Cup against Newcastle.
Jota’s best chance of securing a start against Fulham may still be in the wide position, but he is very much an option for Nuno to consider.
The Portuguese is desperate for his first Premier League start to follow up on his first assist. This might be an opportunity to give him that chance.
A change in formation?
Under Nuno, Forest have not been tied down to a 4-2-3-1 formation. They are flexible in their approach, often switching things during the course of games.
They have also been known to sometimes adopt more of a 4-3-3, which would make it very easy to mitigate for the loss of their best No 10 — by simply playing without one.
Yates or Nico Dominguez could come in to form a midfield three along with Anderson and Ward-Prowse, while any two of Forest’s quartet of wide players — Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga, Jota and Sosa — could operate either side of the in-form Wood.
It is still an approach that allows Forest to include their best players and, in theory, make the most of their strengths. Hudson-Odoi would still have the ability to net his trademark goal, cutting in off the left flank to send a right-footed shot curling inside the far post.
Silva also generally prefers his Fulham side to utilise a 4-2-3-1, although they did play 4-3-3 in their recent 1-1 draw at Ipswich.
Nuno may have to decide whether matching up with in-form opponents Fulham — who beat Newcastle 3-1 on Saturday — formation wise, is a priority.
The other options
When asked about what Jota would bring to the table at the end of August, Nuno also confirmed that he regarded him as being a player who could operate in almost any position in the forward line: “middle, left or right”.
But the Forest head coach followed up by observing that Hudson-Odoi, Elanga and Sosa are capable of doing the same. Indeed, Elanga has fairly regularly ended up operating in a central role, particularly later on in matches when the opposition are tiring and his pace can become more of a threat.
Sosa is a player who liked to drift inside during his time with Talleres in Argentina, whether that be from the left side or the right. One of his strengths is finding little pockets of space in which to operate and to pick out intricate, intelligent passes for his fellow forwards.
Forest could easily operate with a 4-2-3-1 without having a natural No 10, but instead allowing three of Sosa, Hudson-Odoi, Elanga and Jota to rotate behind the striker. Anderson could also be included in that mix, on the left or in the centre.
Dominguez and Ward-Prowse could also function in a more advanced role with a degree of comfort, although that would not perhaps align with their standout strengths. They are best when they are intercepting passes, breaking up opposition attacks and getting Forest onto the front foot quickly.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
