In a surprising turn of events, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has declared Nottingham Forest as legitimate Premier League title contenders ahead of their crucial clash at the City Ground on Tuesday evening.
Forest, the only team to defeat Liverpool in the Premier League this season with a 1-0 victory at Anfield, currently sit in third place, just six points behind the table-topping Reds. Their remarkable transformation from relegation survivors to title challengers has been nothing short of extraordinary, with only four defeats in 20 league matches this season.
"I've always said you can judge the table best halfway through the season," Slot stated. "That moment is there now, so if Forest is then up there with us, with Arsenal, Chelsea and [Manchester] City and all the others, then they definitely are a team that is in competition with us and with the other teams."
The Liverpool boss particularly emphasized Forest's defensive prowess, noting, "They are a team that hardly concedes goals and there's also a reason for it: they don't take a risk in build-up. So, mostly when they lose a ball, they have got many players behind the ball. And if they do have to defend, I see 11 players that work really hard to prevent the other team from scoring."
Forest's defensive record speaks for itself, with only Liverpool and Arsenal (18) conceding fewer than Forest's 19 goals this season. The team has also maintained an impressive attacking record, scoring 29 goals while establishing themselves as serious contenders.
However, Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo remained characteristically cautious about title discussions. "If we start thinking about ifs... it's if, if, if, if. That's why we always try to approach how we are going to prepare ourselves, how we are going to play the game. In the end of the game there will be no ifs," he stated.
With Forest on a remarkable run of six consecutive top-flight victories, they now have the opportunity to equal a century-old club record of seven straight league wins, set in 1922, if they can overcome Liverpool on Tuesday night.
Nuno emphasized the importance of maintaining focus: "We try as much as possible to ignore what is around. We never change, it is the way we see things, it's the way we see the competition, it's the way we see life. Day-by-day, focus on our tasks. Tomorrow is another tough one."
