Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo's gamble over Chris Wood's fitness backfires as unfit striker fails to register a shot during Everton defeat

• e-mail

No manager ever wants to be without his top scorer yet Nuno Espirito Santo’s team selection here suggested for the first time that the Nottingham Forest boss is feeling the pressure.

Chris Wood’s 18 goals have kept Forest in the hunt for Champions League football next season and Nuno feels his tactical plan needs an orthodox centre-forward. ‘Football is strikers,’ he remarked after Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi were ruled out of last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa due to injury.

But in a competition as physically demanding as the Premier League, it is tough to chuck in a below-par player and hope for the best.

At his sharpest, Wood is a headache for any centre-back yet at the City Ground on Saturday, Everton pair Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski had one of their easiest days of the campaign. Wood touched the ball only 13 times, winning none of the five duels he contested. He did not manage a single shot. Put simply, he did not look fully fit.

In a typical game this term, Wood has had 22 touches, taken 1.8 shots and won nearly 40 per cent of his duels. He also averages a goal every 136 minutes, which is why Nuno felt he was worth the risk.

Wood’s inclusion in the starting XI caused widespread surprise, however.

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo's decision to start Chris Wood backfired

Wood, who has been absent due to a hip injury, surprisingly started for Forest against Everton

As Wood recovered from the hip injury he sustained playing for New Zealand during the last international break in March, Mail Sport understands he was expected to be on the sidelines for a further fortnight. Based on Wood’s display, it might have been wiser to stick to that timeline and let Jota Silva try his luck as a lone frontman.

Nuno and his staff manage injuries slightly differently from many other backroom teams. Rather than using a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to rehabilitation, his medical team communicate constantly with injured players to assess their mental and physical state.

Sometimes players return to training earlier than they might at other clubs or sit sessions out unexpectedly if Nuno’s team feel they are at risk of injury. Fitness coach Antonio Dias is at the forefront of these decisions.

It has brought them great success in English football. Between 2018 and 2020, Nuno managed to keep the majority of his players fit as Wolves finished seventh twice in a row, as well as reaching an FA Cup semi-final and a Europa League quarter-final.

Since Nuno took charge of Forest in December 2023, their fitness record has improved dramatically. Wood sustained his injury on international duty and before that – along with the majority of Forest’s main men – he had stayed healthy for most of the campaign.

It is vital for Forest that Wood is ready for next Monday’s clash at Tottenham and they also hope to recover Ola Aina before the season is out.

Twenty years ago, in his first spell at Goodison Park, David Moyes led Everton to a top-four finish, fending off wealthier rivals to achieve it and he feels Forest can emulate them, despite watching his team achieve a deserved win.

‘I always remember thinking that somewhere in the run-in, you have to win one of the big games,’ said Moyes. ‘We beat Manchester United 1-0 at Goodison in April that year and when you’re not the strongest team, you have to find a way of picking up wins, and that certainly helped us get there.

Everton boss David Moyes believes Nottingham Forest can qualify for the Champions League

‘I think if at the start of the season you'd given Nottingham Forest the prospect of Europe, never mind Champions League, would have snapped your hand off. They’ve done incredibly well.

‘They’re in amongst the Champions League teams and the semi-final of the FA Cup. If we could have a season like Nottingham Forest this year, next year, then I'd be hugely thrilled.’