What is Nuno’s style of play?published at 14:35 BST
14:35 BST
Everton v West Ham (20:00 BST)
Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent
At Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo was known for his five-at-the-back system. However, Nottingham Forest last season began most games in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Direct attacks are a hallmark of Nuno’s style and Forest would progress it centrally by launching it directly into striker Chris Wood.
His hold-up play provided an ideal backboard to aim for before attacking midfielders, particularly Morgan Gibbs-White, picked up the knockdowns.
Otherwise, Forest would play quickly down the flanks, overloading the wide areas. They often vacated the middle of the pitch, not risking progressing the ball through the midfielders.
Whether direct into the striker or down the flanks, the message was the same – to play the ball up the pitch early and with speed.
Last season Forest were the most direct side in the league, with a direct speed of play of 2.04 metres per second progressed upfield. However, they were weakest defensively in the last 15 minutes of games, conceding 12 goals last season.