Twelve months ago Nottingham Forest was a point outside the Premier League degradation places with three games to play.
At the same point this season they are sixth, two points outside the Champions League spots, and at least certain Europa League football.
Yet there is supposedly frustration and fear on the city, because of a recent and obvious dip in shape.
There is no doubt that the current decline in the results is early and that it has a group of players that this kind of situation has never experienced before.
The statistics certainly show how far forest has fallen. They have only won one of their last six Premier League matches. They have only made four points of the last 18 available. Before that they were unbeaten in five, despite playing Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal.
We learned this season that Bos is productive on the counterattack, and that they are much more comfortable if they have no dominance about the ball.
In the last five games, they have on average much larger possession (45.1 percent) compared to the previous seven games (38.1 percent). Does this suggest that opponents have learned better how they can destroy the threat of Forest? Let them have the ball more, sit a little deeper and they deny the space to break quickly? Does the forest struggle suggest when they go as favorites in a game, when they are expected to dictate the piece?
That will be a concern for Nuno with already related Leicester on the city on Sunday, living on Sky Sports.
It is remarkable that Forest came the only victory in the last five against Spurs – who had 70 percent owned in that game and more than four times the level of expected goals. By trying to dominate, Spurs played in the hands of the forest.
But it's time for a little perspective.
The progress of Forest is amazing, but it is not outside the owner's expectations. It just came faster than someone else thought it was possible. When Evangelos Marinakis bought the club in 2017, Forest worked in the championship, but he said he wanted to see the club return to the upper table of European football, to reduce the glory days of 1979 and 1980, when this little East Midland's club was back-to-back champion of Europe.
Although all the forest fans loved that feeling of that feeling, they thought the cake was in the air. It is what you would expect that a new owner would say, right? But Marinakis was serious at the time. And he is still now.
There is undoubtedly a broader sentence around the club and fan base that Forest has described too much this season (a season stimulated by many of the 'big' clubs that sparte, such as Manchester United, Tottenham and even Manchester City). But that is not the opinion of the owner. He is impatient for success. And whether his team is making the Champions League this season or not, that is certainly his target for next season.
He will expect it and will plan that possibility because he expects progress every year. And if Forest makes the European League, he will expect his side to be in the mix to win that trophy instead.
Forest set to spend heavy speech this summer
It is now clear that if Forest does not make the Champions League, Marinakis will again take full control of the club.
Last month he was forced to give up any influence on Nottingham Forest to prevent him from breaking the rules of UEFA that a single person banned with dominant control over two teams in the same European competition. Olympiacos have confirmed their place in the competition phase of the Champions League for next season, but if Forest is now inadequate, the Greek billionaire will immediately return as the Talisman decision -making on the city.
However, there is no doubt that the enormous added prize money collected from Champions League participation would make a considerable difference for the transfer ambitions of Forest for the summer.
Let's be clear – Forest will spend serious money, whatever happens. Their PSR concerns were taken from two seasons ago. But there are already two different strategies ready to be activated – one with Champions League funds, one without.
Co-owner of Manchester United Sir Jim Ratcliffe has recently set an estimated prize for the qualification of the Champions League of between £ 80 £ 100 million, while he said that the Europa League qualification was worth £ 40 million. That extra £ 40-60 million for making the elite level of European football can be a game changer for Bos and will dictate the number of transfers they target, instead of the caliber.
Whoever brings them in will be designed to be an upgrade about what they already have. But with Champions League football, that may mean an extra three or four players at elite level.
When it comes to possible editions, the forest expects Bullish. The observed wisdom in football is that if Manchester City calls Gibbs-White, Forest will enable him to leave for big money. That as Manchester United decides that they want Anthony Elanga, their offer will be too convincing to reject. I'm not sure.
Look at Marinakis' decision to reject a potential bid of £ 50 million on Elanga on Deadline Day of Newcastle. Marinakis wants his team to be built around his superstars, instead of dismantling it, and he would be very reluctant to sell to a club that he regards as a Champions League rival.
Nuno focused on setting up 'Winner-Takes-All' last day game with Chelsea
With what level of the European football forest ends up, Nuno Espirito Santo is adamant that he needs a larger team to effectively cope with the extra games with which they have to contend. And his message to his players is now to keep the fight, to ignore what happens to their Champions League rivals and emphasize that, despite a trust dip, the fate of Forest is in his own hands.
The last game of the season at home at Chelsea could define in that respect. The mission for that time is to ensure that the last game on May 25 on the city on 25 May 'the winner will take everything'.
Previously, matches against Leicester and West Ham – and the statistics offer some indications while Forest seems to be restarting their Champions League offer.
Ultimately, whether the side of Nuno de Champions League can come to the question whether they can quickly rebuild the faith and abide by the formula that has been so successful for them this season.
After the doubters were wrongly proven, the trend worked the trend where promoted parties in the Premier League have struggled and the Forest fans have made reasonably comfortable with the idea that they are a permanent members of the Premier League, Marinakis is already planning the next phase: one in which Forest is an annual disrupter of the 'Big Six'.
View Nottingham Forest vs Leicester Live on Sky Sports Premier League from 1 pm on Sunday; kick -off 2.15 pm