Given how well Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are doing this season, it’s almost hard to remember the challenges of last season’s relegation fears at Nottingham Forest.
Forest eventually finished six points clear of Luton Town in 17th, a relegation fight that ended up not being too much of a contest.
Of course, Forest are now flying in third place in the Premier League, even if several sides are now hot on their heels.
| Position | Team | Played MP |
Won W |
Drawn D |
Lost L |
For GF |
Against GA |
Diff GD |
Points Pts |
 LiverpoolLiverpool |
28 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 66 | 26 | 40 | 67 | |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal |
27 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 51 | 23 | 28 | 54 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest |
27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 44 | 33 | 11 | 48 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City |
27 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 47 |
And in order to improve this season, Nuno needed to strengthen the club’s left-back situation last summer, explaining why Alex Moreno was signed on loan from Aston Villa.
Neco Williams has actually prevailed as first-choice on the left, but Forest now have strength in depth in the position.
Nuno Tavares says it wasn’t his choice to join Nottingham Forest
Last season, Nuno had Arsenal full-back Nuno Tavares on loan, a move that didn’t work out for either party.
Tavares played 12 games for Forest across the season but did very little to convince the club to chase a permanent deal after his 696 minutes in red.
Interestingly, Tavares has now lifted the lid on his move to Forest somewhat when speaking to CBS Sports.
Now at Lazio, Tavares admitted that it wasn’t his decision to join Forest from Arsenal, saying it was one he ‘had to accept’.
The £8m defender wanted to go and play football, something he wasn’t doing in north London, but Tavares seemingly felt as if the move to Forest was doomed from the off.
Reflecting on the loan, Tavares said: “Actually it wasn’t my decision to go to Forest, I had to accept.
“I went there to play football because that’s what I want. Things didn’t go well, as I expected.”
Tavares now enjoying a brilliant new chapter with Lazio
Fortunately for the defender, Tavares is now doing brilliantly at Lazio on loan, who have an obligation-to-buy clause inserted in the deal if certain parameters are met.
The Portugal international is now playing as a left wing-back with plenty of attacking freedom, which always seemed to be the role best suited to his skillset.
Tavares couldn’t thrive as a traditional left-back in a back four at Arsenal, a role he was also asked to play at Forest.
The defender arguably was at his best for Forest during his first ever Premier League match for the club against Chelsea in a 2-0 win in September 2023.
Tavares played as a left wing-back that day, but Forest then seemed to mostly opt for a back four thereafter.
