Inside Nottingham Forest’s Premier League survival: Pereira’s ‘daily joy’, football tennis and Call of Duty | OneFootball

Vitor Pereira’s demand to fight for everything has underpinned Nottingham Forest’s escape, sealed by a comeback draw after trailing 1-0 to Newcastle United on Sunday. The point guaranteed a fifth straight Premier League season with two matches to spare, capping an eight-game unbeaten league run.

He prizes clarity and positivity, offering carrots rather than sticks. “He only ever transmits positive energy, he has only ever given us confidence. As players, that is what has made the difference,” striker Igor Jesus said. He told The Athletic.

Set pieces have been sharpened by assistant coach Luis Miguel and set-piece analyst Axl Rice, who dissect Forest’s last match and the next opponent’s previous 10 games. Defending routines are drilled two days out, attacking ones the day before. Forest have conceded 13 set-piece goals in the league, but only two since Pereira arrived.

Training-eve sessions are light, with player-picked music and games such as dobby or tag to lift mood. Squad bonds are nurtured through shared meals and lounge battles at darts, pool, table tennis and especially football tennis, where Nico Dominguez, Neco Williams and Nikola Milenkovic are fierce competitors. After hours, Elliot Anderson, Williams, Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee link up on Call of Duty.

This has been a turbulent campaign with four head coaches. Nuno Espirito Santo departed in September, Ange Postecoglou’s 39-day spell failed to connect, and Sean Dyche exited in February after a 0-0 against Wolves that featured 35 shots and a players’ delegation led by Morgan Gibbs-White to owner Evangelos Marinakis. The club moved to repair ties with fans through open training, price freezes and free scarves, and Pereira then restored calm, guided a Europa League semi-final run and, crucially, ensured safety.

Source: NY Times