Jota's Grealish joy as record looms and Nottingham Forest look to shrug off 'frustrating' day

Nottingham Forest's Jota Silva
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


Nottingham Forest will be keen to sign off for the international break with a positive result when they make the trip to Chelsea this weekend.

After defeat at home to Fulham last time out, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will be hoping to bounce back at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (2pm kick-off). They will at least have talisman Morgan Gibbs-White available again after he was suspended for the 1-0 loss to the Cottagers.

Despite the result at the City Ground, it has still been a fine start to the campaign for the Reds. As they prepare to travel to the capital, Sarah Clapson reflects on the latest goings-on Trentside.

Bouncing back

Saturday’s result wasn’t without controversy, with Forest left frustrated by the lack of consistency from the match officials. Raul Jimenez scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after Murillo had been penalised, but what the Reds considered to be fouls on Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga in the area then went unpunished.

The hosts had been far from at their best, though, as their unbeaten start to the Premier League season came to an end. But defender Neco Williams is confident last weekend will be nothing more than a blip.

“It was frustrating,” said the Welshman. “It's always going to be frustrating when you're not winning games and we came here wanting three points and to keep our unbeaten run going. But unfortunately, this is football.

“We've got to take the positives now and move on to the next one. It's a little setback compared to our form since the start of the season. We've got to put this behind us, learn from the mistakes and keep moving forward. We've lost one (league) game all season so far, so it's still positive.

“It was one of those games that was frustrating, I'd say, for both teams. It was probably going to be one goal and one decision that was crucial and we were on the unlucky side, and all credit to Fulham.

“I think it is just a one-off. We’re not going to dwell on what happened. We're going to be back in training and focus on the next one, and all we can do really is just put this behind us now and move forward.”

Seeing double

Speaking of impacts made by signings, Jota Silva has the makings of being one with the potential to work out for the Reds. He has only made six appearances so far and is yet to start in the Premier League, but already appears on his way to becoming something of a cult hero.

The “Portuguese Grealish” tag seems likely to follow him around for a while. And the winger is looking forward to coming up against his doppelganger - a former loanee at Notts County, of course - when Forest go to Manchester City on December 4.

“It’s going to be funny,” Jota told Portuguese publication O Jogo. “Because of everything that’s been created and because people say we’re similar.”

Nuno is aware of the comparison, too. The hair, the calves… “It’s obvious, isn’t it,” the Reds boss said last week.

But any similarities in their style of play? Not according to Nuno.

“Jota is different,” he said. “There is no point comparing the qualities of the players as they are different.”

Set-piece supremo

Forest acted to address their set-pieces issues in the summer. At both ends of the pitch, dead-ball situations had been an Achilles’ heel in their first two campaigns back in the Premier League.

Centre-back Nikola Milenkovic was signed to help deal with the defensive side of things, while there is no doubt about deadline-day arrival James Ward-Prowse’s threat at the other end. The set-piece specialist is yet to make his mark for the Reds from a free-kick, but he has some high-profile admirers of his skill.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid ace Gareth Bale has picked out Ward-Prowse as the Premier League’s best ever free-kick taker. The West Ham United loanee, Bale argues, is even better than Manchester United great David Beckham.

“I’d probably go James Ward-Prowse to be honest with you,” the Welshman told Mail Online (via The Mirror) when asked about his top set-piece taker. Given a choice of Ward-Prowse or Didier Drogba, then Ward-Prowse or Thierry Henry and finally Ward-Prowse or Beckham, Bale stuck with the Reds midfielder every time.

Forest’s summer signing has bagged 17 free-kick goals in his Premier League career so far. Beckham holds the Premier League record with 18 - something Ward-Prowse is eyeing up.

"I think it's starting to take more thought in my head,” he has previously told talkSPORT (via The Mirror). “The closer I get, I am aware of it.”

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No regrets

Having a strong transfer window has certainly been a contributing factor to Forest’s promising start to the season. The players brought in have made good early impressions, with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo benefitting from strength in depth across the pitch.

As with every club, the Reds haven’t always got it right in the transfer market. Among recent signings not to have worked out is midfielder Remo Freuler.

The Swiss couldn’t quite live up to his “conductor” nickname in the Garibaldi. He lasted little more than a year Trentside before returning to Italy to join Bologna in the summer of 2023, and it seems the 32-year-old is happy with his choice.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness) about his return to Italy, the former Atalanta man said: “A fantastic group has been created. Not only on the pitch but also off it, at dinner, for an aperitif meeting up with young and old.

“I have learned this special cohesion here and I am happy to have returned to Italy and to have chosen Bologna. And I would do it again. Of course I would do it again.

“We are still that team which has that hunger and with the Champions League here, I, for example, don’t want to stop seeing the joy in the eyes not only of my teammates but above all of the fans.”

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