Nottingham Forest were proudly fifth in the Premier League on Sunday night, but the reality is they sit 16th. Since Sean Dyche took over as manager on 21 October, only four teams have bettered their points tally, with a breezy win against Tottenham a further sign of revolution in action.
Considering the shambolic nature of the season before Dyche was appointed, the fact Forest find themselves out of the relegation zone is impressive enough. They were 18th with five points after nine matches that included four defeats from Ange Postecoglou’s five league fixtures. Only Aston Villa, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea have accumulated more points since Dyche moved into the City Ground dugout.
Dyche’s role was to rebuild morale and find solutions to the confused style that had inhibited the players, who went from one extreme under Nuno Espírito Santo to another under Postecoglou. The squad was built for Nuno and Dyche has far more in common with the Portuguese’s conservatism. Dyche set about reminding the players of what they had done, of the quality they showed to defy the odds.
Dyche’s ability to construct and regimentally organise a defence was a key part of his appeal. He has taken things back to basics: keeping shape, defending set pieces properly and being more aggressive to win the ball back. Forest have kept three clean sheets in the past five league games and won those three matches.
Fitness was a key issue identified by Dyche, so longer and more intense training sessions have been implemented. Against Tottenham the press that resulted in the first goal shows the players are capable of playing at a higher intensity than before. Liverpool also suffered against the increased physicality and tempo Dyche’s Forest offer, losing 3-0 last month.
