Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito-Santos ecstatic over 1-0 home win against Manchester City
08/03/2025
City Ground, Nottingham, UK
08/03/2025
City Ground, Nottingham, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00What's your overriding feeling?
00:02We are happy, we are very happy.
00:04Very happy, I think we did a very good game against a very tough team.
00:08Defensive display was good, the organisation was good,
00:12the help, the covers, the double ups were fundamental to have this defensive display.
00:19So, proud and happy.
00:20As I said, it was a great team performance.
00:23You talked through the goals, moving the ball to the counter and the finish.
00:27It must have been very pleasing.
00:28Of course, talent, talent.
00:31When Kalle has a chance, I think he had a previous chance before.
00:34And he did well.
00:36Players that have the advantage on 1v1,
00:39when we try and we achieve to create the situation,
00:42they are talented and it's difficult to stop.
00:45With 10 games to go, how confident are you that perhaps this team can finish in the Champions League place?
00:50Now, Ipswich, Ipswich.
00:52Now, let's rest because it was a tough week for us.
00:55Many of our players made 120 minutes, plus 90 today.
01:00So, thank God they are healthy for now.
01:03Let's keep them healthy, recover and prepare for the next one.
01:06At what point do you think you can stop thinking about potentially your team performance?
01:13It doesn't change anything.
01:14It's about the focus, it's about the approach of the games.
01:17Let's enjoy the journey together.
01:19The players, they are doing amazing.
01:22Our fans giving the help.
01:26Keep on enjoying.
01:27You've drawn with Liverpool and Arsenal at home, now you're beating City.
01:31How much belief do you think these three results have given your team and also your supporters?
01:36We are talking about the best teams around.
01:39It always gives you the confidence that you can compete well against such good players.
01:44I think it allows us to grow as a team,
01:48but it doesn't change the opponent that you have ahead of you, in front of you,
01:52because the Premier League is very tough, very tough, very tough.
01:54So, every good performance that we have, every good result against every team,
02:00is always what we look for.
02:03You have stopped severing some ways to the winner Anfield.
02:08Was it your tactical plan today to keep things tight and then...?
02:12I think it was different.
02:14It's very difficult, very difficult to stop City.
02:17It's very difficult, they are so talented,
02:18create so many pockets and short games.
02:22It's very, very hard.
02:23They are always going to have chances.
02:25So, a different game, a different game.
02:29If you look at the stats, it looks the same,
02:32but I think it was totally different.
02:33They are totally different teams.
02:35You must be playing the way you did last time.
02:37Of course, of course.
02:38But, Paul, we've been around and we know there's no other way to play against,
02:45and to play against anyone.
02:46If you ignore the talent and the defensive part of the game,
02:49you are making a mistake.
02:51We will try to avoid it till the end,
02:52because it's the basic pillar for us, it's a clean sheet.
02:55We are proud of achieving clean sheets.
02:57Did this feel like another landmark winning for you?
03:02It's important for our fans.
03:03It's important for our fans to realise that we can compete against every team.
03:08But it doesn't change, it doesn't change.
03:10It's not a landmark.
03:11I think, for example, if you go back after the period
03:14that we were not so stable, half-time Newcastle,
03:18the way we revert that situation,
03:21that I think was important, a pivotal moment in these previous games.
03:25There's been so much emphasis for so long on full-backs generally
03:30being able to attack, go forward.
03:32How pleasing was it then to see how well Ener and Willian
03:36shut down the Manchester City line?
03:38Very pleased, very pleased.
03:40Very pleased.
03:41Very difficult players to stop.
03:43Credit for them, but also credit for the helps,
03:46especially of the midfielders to double up.
03:49You said that you've got to look at the games ahead,
03:53but it must give you a great deal of satisfaction
03:56when you see how the fans are doing.
03:57Of course.
03:58To see what the team has come through.
04:00Of course, of course.
04:01We are proud.
04:03Monday evening was very nice.
04:06The support that they have, they finished the game singing.
04:08So, let's enjoy the journey together.
04:12I think there's a bond of trust between the team and the fans
04:16that we can see that the players feel comfortable playing at city ground.
04:20Our home form has been huge for us.
04:23Let's try to keep it on the next ones.
04:25Sorry?
04:26Last time we looked, it was Stuart Pearce.
04:29Sorry, sorry.
04:34I saw the news.
04:34How is he?
04:37We're waiting to hear an update, but I think he's doing OK.
04:41Ah, OK.
04:43I'm sorry, I didn't know.
04:47But no bad news for now.
04:48No.
04:49Oh, thank God.
04:50Good.
04:51It's the first time that they've been beating Manchester City in the league since 1997.
04:55We've had a few of those big moments this season.
04:58What do they mean?
04:59I know you say it's not a landmark result, but what do those kind of moments mean?
05:02I think the improvement of the squad, the improvement of the players,
05:06the ability to realise that we can compete against every team.
05:11Compete.
05:12It doesn't matter the result.
05:14It's how we prepare to compete.
05:17Knowing our strengths, our weakness, and knowing who we have in front of you.
05:21Every game is different.
05:22It shows the progress and the ability to keep competing, competing, competing,
05:27game after game.
05:28And this is what we want for ourselves, to be able to improve every game.
05:33It's a landmark of improvement.
05:35Because now we're going to look at the game.
05:36There were so many mistakes, but at the end, it was good.
05:40But it still seems to improve, of course.
05:43I think, yeah.
05:45Just to close up, often when managers are on a really good run,
05:49they can often tell their players how the game is going to play out,
05:52and it felt like that game was playing out according to your plan rather than Pep's plan.
05:56Did you feel that during the game?
06:00No.
06:01No.
06:02Not all the game.
06:04There was a moment when the game stretched and it becomes up and down like basketball.
06:12That was good for us.
06:14Thank you very much.