Nottingham Forest’s predicted XI under Vitor Pereira: New formation shift & big calls… | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest have become the first team in Premier League history to sack three managers in one season.

Former Wolves manager Vitor Pereira is the early favourite to succeed Sean Dyche as manager. Forest have reportedly identified the Portuguese coach as a strong candidate.

Based on the 3-4-2-1 formation that Pereira used at Wolves, here’s our best guess at how Forest could line up under him.

GK: Stefan Ortega

We’re not sure whether Evangelos Marinakis himself could name every goalkeeper Forest have signed during his time at the club.

Matz Sels is going to remain unavailable for some time yet, Dyche revealed shortly before his departure, and in the meantime January signing Ortega appears the obvious choice between the sticks.

There will be a decision to make further down the line, though.

CB: Murillo

Pereira will be desperate for Murillo to return to Forest’s line-up. It’s not expected that his current thigh problem will keep him sidelined much longer.

The 23-year-old Brazilian remains among the club’s best and most important individuals, surely among the first name on the teamsheet for whoever sits in the dugout.

Forest have taken eight points from Murllo’s last four starts, which included clean sheets against Arsenal and Brentford. That stands in stark contrast to when he’s not there (three goals conceded to Wrexham and Leeds).

CB: Nikola Milenkovic

Another simple decision for the new boss.

The strapping Serbian hasn’t been quite as impressive as he was in his outstanding debut season (the goals at the other end have dried up, for one), but it’s hard to blame him when there’s been such chaos around him.

Milenkovic is the obvious choice for the leader at the heart of a three-man defence.

CB: Morato

Completing the back three used previously by both Ange Postecoglou and – on the odd occasion – Nuno Espirito Santo, Morato has tended to be utilised as a dependable rotation option when his compatriot Murillo hasn’t been available.

Adding an extra body into the backline would allow Forest to use both Brazilians either side of the dominant aerial presence of Milenkovic.

We’ve seen mixed results so far (from Nuno’s 7-0 victory over Brighton to Postecoglou’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea), but theoretically that’s a solid enough foundation at the back.

RWB: Ola Aina

Necessity dictated that Aina featured on the left side against Leeds, but normal service resumed against Wolves and there’s little reason to expect that to change.

The beauty of Forest’s fullbacks is that they’re both versatile enough to feature on either flank, with plenty of experience of doing so.

Whether that same adaptability applies to going from full-back to wing-back remains to be seen, but we don’t see why not.

CM: Elliot Anderson

Should the worst-case scenario come to pass for Forest, the vultures will surely come circling for Anderson’s signature.

Even if they stay up, Forest will have a job on their hands to keep hold of their most lucrative asset, with Manchester United reportedly among his suitors.

The fact that his stock has risen exponentially in such a dysfunctional season, in which Forest are battling against the drop, is a statement of his quality.

His underlying statistics – particularly winning duels and progressive passes – are off the charts.

CM: Ibrahim Sangare

Should Forest really get dragged into the mire, we could see Pereira leaning on the experience and dogged determination of Ryan Yates.

But the homegrown hero has been reduced to a peripheral role this season, with just one Premier League start, and that’s unlikely to change in the immediate future.

Sangare’s place alongside Anderson in Forest’s midfield engine room remains his to lose.

LWB: Neco Williams

The Wales international last played as a wingback during Postecoglou’s dalliance with a back three, which didn’t last very long.

He featured on the right in the Australian’s final game in charge, the dire 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea, but we expect to see him back on the left, having featured on that flank predominantly over the past 18 months at Forest.

CAM: Morgan Gibbs-White

There is the option to play Gibbs-White in a midfield two, an attempt for him to influence the game from deeper, but we saw how that experiment worked out with Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United.

We don’t see any debate over Gibbs-White’s place on the teamsheet or the areas in which he’s most effective. No-brainer.

CAM: Omari Hutchinson

Traditional flying wingers played such a vital role in Forest coming within a whisker of Champions League qualification last season. But football moves fast. It’s difficult to envisage that kind of player in Pereira’s favoured formation.

Hudson-Odoi, or Dan Ndoye, could theoretically feature here, behind the striker, but Hutchinson’s particular skillset intuitively feels a bit more suitable.

Matheus Cunha – producing the best football of his career to date – was by some distance Wolves’ standout player in Pereira’s system.

We’re not sure there’s a direct analogue at Forest, at least in terms of quality dribbling and long-distance shooting, but it’d be fun to see Hutchinson afforded that kind of freedom. On his day, he possesses the ability to singlehandedly make a difference.

ST: Igor Jesus

Chris Wood was one of Dyche’s most trusted lieutenants at Burnley, but a knee injury kept the veteran New Zealand international sidelined for the entirety of his old boss’s four-month tenure at the City Ground.

How different things might have been, eh? You imagine that the 0-0 draw against Wolves (35 shots!) would’ve been different had Dyche been able to call upon the club’s best (and only?) reliable finisher.

Wood will surely go straight back in when he’s fit and available, but there’s no suggestion that’ll be any time soon.

Summer signing Igor Jesus has shown flashes of quality, so you imagine he’ll get the nod, but man mountain January recruit Lorenzo Lucca offers an alternative option.