Nottingham Forest’s players have missed the fewest minutes of football in the Premier League this season has allowed Nuno the luxury of consistency. He has made an average of only 1.6 changes to his starting XI per game, the joint-lowest in the division.
He has named an unchanged line-up seven times. But why do Forest have so few injuries?
“There are two factors. Style of play is definitely very important,” says Luke Anthony, who has been head physiotherapist at Watford. “Tottenham are the opposite of Forest, in terms of having an aggressive press, a high line and needing their central defenders to cover, often at high speed.
“The opposite is true with Forest. When they are playing in a system that is less aggressive, press less when it comes to high-speed sprints… it does make a difference. It is a big factor in the number of injuries.”
Though he may continue to be cautious when speaking about Forest’s lack of injuries, Nuno’s efforts so far this season have worked wonders.
GO FURTHER
Why Nottingham Forest have had the fewest injuries in the Premier League this season