Mighty Milenkovic among the signings of the season

The towering Serbian stopper, captured on the cheap from Fiorentina, has been a transformative addition to Forest's defence.

SUPER SERB: Nikola Milenkovic of Forest in action. Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images

WITH end-of-season awards looming on the horizon, there is a solid argument that Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo warrants the manager accolade. Nuno has taken Forest from the cusp of relegation to the brink of Champions League football. In fact, it would now be a surprise were top-tier European competition not played at the City Ground next term.

Even if Forest do somehow sacrifice a top-five spot, Nuno would be a more-than deserving winner of the gong, even ahead of the likes of Arne Slot, Andoni Iraola, and Fabian Hurzeler, to name three. The attack has been crucial to their fine domestic campaign to date. Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Callum Hudson-Odoi have proven a fine supporting cast for main man Chris Wood, the New Zealander currently fourth in the Golden Boot race with 18 goals to his name.

Crucial, too, has been the defence. Forest conceded 67 times in the Premier League last season, the fifth most, with their set-piece shortcomings routinely exploited by opponents as they conceded 22 times from deadball situations, at least three more than any other team.

Fast-forward to the present day and Forest have conceded just 35 times ahead of the run in; only three teams, including the top two Arsenal (24) and Liverpool (27), have shipped fewer. Just seven of those have been from set-pieces. They’ve tightened up impressively to bolster their chances of seeing their dream of Champions League football edge closer to reality.

In addition, they have given up just 39.34 expected goals with nine games to play, the fourth lowest. Crucial to that nigh-on watertight backline has been the capture of a player who could be deemed the signing of the season.

That Forest managed to sign Nikola Milenkovic for a reported £12m (€14.5m) was a steal in itself. This is a player who’d previously been linked to Manchester United and Tottenham for at least double that figure. The towering Serb has been — sometimes quite literally — head and shoulders above the Premier League’s best in his debut campaign in England. Fiorentina’s financial issues meant they needed to cash in on the 27-year-old, and their loss has very much been Forest’s gain.

While perhaps not the most cultured centre-back in the division, Milenkovic has strengthened a defence that was in dire need of investment. A top-tier partner for Murillo to not only solidify Forest’s backline but help the Brazilian develop with the help of a more experienced head.

Milenkovic certainly puts his 6’5 frame to good use, with few getting the better of the Serbia international in a headed battle. Indeed, the Forest fan favourite has returned a fine aerial success rate of 70.9%. This is especially important given the way Nuno sets his Forest side up. Rather than implement a possession-based approach, Forest often sit deep before hitting sides on the counter, going direct to Wood or utilising the speed of Elanga and Hudson-Odoi, which isn’t a shock for a side that has the lowest possession average (39.5%) in the division.

Unsurprisingly, Forest rank fourth for shots following a counter-attack (36) in England’s top tier.

This does mean there is ample pressure on a busy backline to maintain their concentration to limit the shots goalkeeper Matz Sels needs to face. Milenkovic ranks eighth for total clearances (140) in this Premier League campaign, a metric that teammate Murillo (174) places third for. For a player in his debut season in a new league, Milenkovic has taken to the rigours of Premier League football like a duck to water.

Forest aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing side in the Premier League. They won’t draw admirers for a possession-heavy approach, but this has proven a breath of fresh air at a time when teams have sought to dominate the ball as the best way to work their way to goal. They are proving a throwback to the old school with a battering ram of a striker leading the charge and a pair of reactive centre-backs holding the fort.

Murillo is able to play a more expansive game safe in the knowledge he has Milenkovic beside him to mop up at the back should the youngster be caught short higher up the pitch.

With a full pre-season under his belt, Nuno has been able to better translate his ideas, while there is a sound midfield foundation in his favoured
4-2-3-1 setup. Yet in this well-oiled Forest machine, Milenkovic is proving one of the most important cogs.