The rain is pouring down on the Nottingham Forest training ground and the scorching heat of Saudi Arabia must feel like a lifetime ago for Nuno Espirito Santo.
After leaving champions Al-Ittihad in November, where temperatures above 40 degrees were the norm, Nuno is now back in the Premier League and enjoying his latest assignment.
It’s mid-morning at Forest’s base and Nuno is preparing for a session ahead of Saturday’s match at Aston Villa, in a rare uninterrupted week of training.
This week he completed two months in charge of Forest and time has flown by for the Portuguese, who was appointed as Steve Cooper’s replacement in December.
It has been a fairly chaotic introduction, with the threat of a possible points deduction hanging over the club, but Nuno has produced the impact that owner Evangelos Marinakis was desperately seeking.
When the decision was made to sack Cooper, other candidates were considered, including former Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui and new Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner.
Still, Nuno impressed during the talks and Marinakis concluded he would be a better fit as he also felt he might have a point to prove after a difficult 124-day experience at Tottenham Hotspur.
Since his arrival, Nuno’s days have been very long. On the day before his appointment was announced, he studied the previous matches of the season until 4am and reported to the training pitch four hours later.
Nuno immediately demanded players spend longer days at the Nigel Doughty Academy. Coinciding with his arrival, Forest opened a new players’ lounge and an improved restaurant area, which made the team feel more comfortable.
Creating an identity and a relaxed environment is Nuno’s priority.
He quickly made it clear that he believed in the team’s capabilities and how they could win different types of matches.
Players point to his calmness when delivering messages and his presence at meetings. Insiders have also commented on his impressive language flexibility, in a dressing room with many different nationalities, although Nuno wants all players to speak in English.
Training sessions are short and sweet, starting at 10am most days and never lasting longer than 90 minutes. Schedules are drawn up two weeks in advance and then sent to the players by WhatsApp by medical and sports science staff.
As a former goalkeeper, Nuno takes a practical approach to coaching. He completed his Uefa Pro License over a dozen years ago at the infamous Inverclyde National Sports Center in Largs, and has returned there many times to speak at seminars.
Nuno has complete confidence in his employees and it is an extremely close-knit group. Two key figures are assistants Rui Pedro Silva and Julio Figueroa. Silva has worked with Nuno for over 11 years and often challenges him on decisions, which Nuno appreciates as he does not like being surrounded by ‘yes men’.
Figueroa is a master of the mental and psychological side of the game and observes coaching sessions to get into the minds of the players.
Two of Cooper’s backroom staff, coach Steven Reid and Head of Performance Steve Rands, stayed on after Nuno’s arrival.
Rands has previously worked with Pep Guardiola and Frank Lampard and watches matches from a technical perspective, with his analysis team in regular contact from their positions in the stands.
Simon Rusk was appointed as the club’s first set-piece specialist shortly before Cooper’s departure and has remained.
Nuno believes that individual and team meetings with his players are essential in what he calls ‘the growth process’. Morgan Gibbs-White was assured on Nuno’s first day that he was one of the most important men.
He did not feature regularly under Nuno at Wolves, but the £25million signing quickly ensured he would be a focal point of the team.
Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares made just one league start under Cooper and his future was discussed last month – but Nuno saw potential and begged the 24-year-old to show him why he should stay.
Since his arrival, there have been many problems that Nuno has had to deal with. Taiwo Awoniyi was unavailable for the first seven games as the attacker recovered from a groin injury.
After the 2-1 win over Manchester United on December 30, six players left for the Africa Cup of Nations. Three of them – Ibrahim Sangare, Willy Boly and Ola Aina – were said to be first-team regulars and only returned late last week after reaching the final.
Top scorer Chris Wood suffered a hamstring injury, which will keep him out until next month.
And then, on January 15, Forest were charged by the Premier League after admitting breaches of financial rules. With the threat of a possible points deduction, it has ensured that every game has an extra layer of pressure.
When the charges were announced, Nuno gathered the players in the meeting room at Forest’s training ground and told them to try to remove the uncertainty. He insisted that they should only concentrate on their work on the field and train properly.
There has also been a litany of what Forest see as refereeing and VAR errors: Boly’s red card against Bournemouth, Ivan Toney’s free-kick in the defeat to Brentford and the decision not to award Forest a penalty against Newcastle after Awoniyi had made a mistake.
Even last weekend, Nuno was disadvantaged when VAR overlooked a foul on Neco Williams by West Ham substitute Maxwel Cornet. Mark Clattenburg is now on board on a consultancy basis as a referee analyst, in an effort to build better understanding and repair relations with the PGMOL.
An early statement of intent
Forest’s victory over West Ham lifted Forest out of the relegation zone and was their first clean sheet in the league since 5 November.
There has been clear progress, backed by data, with Forest averaging almost two points per game and expected goals up.
Nuno likes his teams to dominate possession and create overloads all over the pitch, breaking with speed.
At Wolves he relied heavily on the pace of his attacking players and made an early statement of intent in his first game against Bournemouth.
After the controversial 23rd-minute dismissal of central defender Boly, Nuno could have opted for damage control but introduced winger Callum Hudson-Odoi at half-time.
It was a daring attacking move, and it almost succeeded: Forest scored twice, but succumbed to a goal four minutes into extra time.
Nuno believes that the process of creating that identity and a recognizable playing style will take time. “We already have a great atmosphere, but now we want to create an even stronger bond between the players and the staff,” he says.
“It’s far from what we want because perfection is difficult to achieve. Every manager has problems and when the problem arises, you have to find solutions.
“We have not been able to get into the routine of naming the same team and that is not easy. Hopefully over time we can gain more understanding for everyone.”
Rebalancing the team
Nuno viewed the January transfer window as fundamental to the season. When he arrived he was surprised by the number of players. At Wolves he traditionally worked with a close-knit team of around 20 people, so everyone felt they had a chance to be involved.
Here there were enough players to form three eleven-a-side teams, plus substitutes.
It was imperative to bring the numbers down and rebalance the team. For all the attention on Forest’s spending, their ability to move players remains under the radar.
Forty-four players, including several under-23s, have left permanently or gone on loan since the club’s promotion (45 soon to be announced, with Canadian international Richie Laryea in talks over a permanent move to Major League Soccer club Toronto FC).
Nuno also wanted some additions on important points. A crucial signing was Belgian goalkeeper Matz Sels from Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.
Forest had already spent just over £10 million on Matt Turner and Odysseas Vlachodimos in the summer, but too many mistakes were made and the defense looked out of sorts in games.
Sels was signed on deadline day and it can be revealed that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was instrumental in the deal.
Boehly’s Clearlake Capital group also owns Strasbourg and gave the green light to Sels’ departure for £5 million as they quickly sought a replacement in Saint-Etienne’s Matthieu Dreyer.
Borussia Dortmund’s attacking midfielder Gio Reyna was the high-profile signing. Forest became aware of his availability in the first week of January and moved quickly, with three other clubs, including Sevilla, interested.
Reyna assessed the options and ultimately decided to join Forest, along with his father Claudio, the former US international, who had a major influence on the move.
Forest insist the quality of their summer transfer business has also been overlooked.
Anthony Elanga and Hudson-Odoi were standout players, signed for a combined £16.5 million before add-ons.
Murillo, the Brazilian centre-back, is perhaps their best signing since promotion, costing £11million from Corinthians.
Forest already foresee Murillo eventually surpassing Brennan Johnson’s record £47.5m sale by some distance.
Nuno has high hopes for Sangare, the record €30m signing from PSV Eindhoven, who has struggled for consistency but is highly regarded across Europe.
There will be obstacles ahead, but the Forest board believes Nuno has the experience and temperament to deal with them.
This weekend they face Villa and on Wednesday evening they host Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Nuno once said: “Dreaming is free” and after a two-year absence he feels most at home in the Premier League.