The best league position Nottingham Forest had achieved in 28 years came last season. There was one objective and only one: avoid relegation. That they did, finishing 16th, a best return in the pyramid since ninth in 1995/96.
Forest’s top-flight record until then in the Premier League era read four seasons, two relegations – and one third-place finish, improbably.
After surviving their fifth year in the division, with off-pitch headlines making more waves than anything they did on-pitch, few would have expected much other than more of the same from the Reds in 2024/25.
But under Nuno Espirito Santo, and making the most of others’ hesitations, unexpected slip-ups and general lack of consistency, the “Tricky Trees” have become one of the stories of the season, currently looking to push for Europe and maybe even equalling that podium spot of ’95, if all goes near perfectly according to plan.
With a long way to go, there are no guarantees of course. Even so, with the third-best defensive record, third-best away record and the current best run of form in the league, there’s no shortage of optimism around the City Ground.
There have been no shortage of players being highlighted for their new-found defensive resolve and consistency either, with summer signing Nikola Milenkovic unquestionably excellent. But Forest haven’t just been grinding their way to draws or trying to avoid defeat: they’ve been proactively winning matches.
Indeed, only league leaders Liverpool have claimed more victories than Forest’s 11 this term, with five wins on the bounce to their name heading into 2025.
They have a plan, a coherence about their lineup, a visible style and regular execution – all of this is of course testament to the job Nuno has done.
The manager has found the tactical blend which suits his squad and, perhaps more importantly, the man management to get the best out of them on a regular basis. He has undoubtedly coaxed improvements from individuals, Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood being prime examples here, but at the same time has found a way to regularly unlock the best from his very finest.
And that is Morgan Gibbs-White.
Last term, certainly from the start of spring onwards, the former Wolves man was doing everything, everywhere for Forest; ball-winner, ball-carrier, chance creator and goalscorer at several vital moments, it seemed a one-man band at times to ensure they stayed up.
This year, with more balance and energy behind him in midfield and a better-functioning attack around and ahead of him, his true qualities in possession and in making use of space are on show more frequently, more effectively. That’s not at the expense of him still showing off-the-ball workrate and endeavour though; this is a squad fighting for each other, with a mandate to put in the miles to make sure final-third excellence pays off.
In Forest’s squad, Gibbs-White ranks in the top three on a per-90 minutes basis for each of expected goals, shots on target, chances created, big chances created (those of a statistically higher calibre opportunity on goal), expected assists and accurate long passes. Whether or not you place stock in the numbers game, the sheer variety of those traits underline his status as a man for all match occasions. Among players in his role, an attacking midfielder, in Europe’s top leagues over the past year, he ranks in the 91st percentile for setting up shooting chances for teammates.
All this, and despite their lofty position, for a team who have scored only the 13th-highest tally of goals in the Premier League this season: 26 in 19 games shows their efficiency as much as their ability to yet improve in this area of the park.
International recognition came his way toward the back end of 2024; one of Lee Carsley’s promoted gang to earn England caps in September, this was due reward for Gibbs-White forging himself a first-team role and a consistent manner of playing, after a stuttering time in a Wolves side which never quite seemed to trust him enough.
Forest now have far loftier ambition than his old club do, and Gibbs-White is at the heart of it all. Whether he stays in form for the long haul will be every bit as central to the club claiming a place in European competition, for the first time in three decades, as Milenkovic’s stopping powers or Wood’s goalscoring prowess continuing to shine this term.