One of the stories of the season in English football has undoubtedly been the outstanding performances of Nuno Espírito Santo’s Nottingham Forest, who remain firmly in contention for UEFA Champions League qualification at the time of writing this piece.
At present, they sit in third place in England’s top flight, six points clear of fifth-placed Manchester City.
A Champions League return is certainly still far from a foregone conclusion for the East Midlands side, who famously won back-to-back European Cups in 1978/79 and 1979/80 under the leadership of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.
Much work is yet to be done if Forest are to get what would be an excellent achievement over the line.
Nevertheless, regardless of what happens between now and the end of the campaign, the 2024/2025 season will certainly go down as a memorable one for the club’s supporters for very good reasons.
Forest’s excellent season has absolutely been the result of a colossal team effort.
Still, there are some crucial figures who stand out for their on-field contributions throughout 2024/2025.
This article uses data to analyse four key players who’ve made up the spine of Nuno Espírito Santo’s team throughout the campaign, helping them reach this position where they’ve earned the opportunity to potentially close out the season in style.
Matz Sels Scout Report 2024/2025
Matz Sels joined Forest from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg just over a year ago for €8m.
Since making his debut versus Bournemouth on the fourth of February 2024, he’s been a Premier League ever-present—the only Forest player to have played 100% of the team’s league minutes this term.
The impact a solid, reliable goalkeeper can have on a team’s overall performance can’t be understated.
Sels has given Forest stability and, crucially, reliability between the sticks this term, ensuring an important, fundamental feature for a successful team was present for this side.
Mat Sells Radar Chart
Looking at the pizza chart in Figure 1, Sels stands out for his save rate, command of the penalty box (aerial duels per 90 and exits per 90), and long ball ratio.
These factors have helped the Belgian keeper rank extremely high among his peers in the EPL and similar leagues this term.
