Nottingham Forest’s pre-season vacation to Spain has ended, and the club has suffered its first defeat of the summer.
Managers do not place a high value on results during the preseason, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s team had started well in their previous three games.
However, Elche of La Liga 2 defeated Forest 1-0.
Nuno continued to shake things up with no forwards in the encounter in Spain on Friday night, as neither Chris Wood nor Taiwo Awoniyi appeared.
But there was some good news: Elliot Anderson passed his fitness tests after taking a severe hit against Millwall on Tuesday.
‘Terrific’ midfielder impressed for Forest against Elche.
Forest has also had a great start to the summer transfer season, with five players already in the fold.
Forest are in talks with Talleres about winger Ramon Sosa, and signing number six might be imminent at the City Ground.
Nuno’s team has undoubtedly had a solid run out in Spain on what has proven to be a worthwhile trip to the continent.
The Reds’ performance on Friday night was clearly not their best, but one guy stood out.
Journalist Sarah Clapson was covering, and she stated Ibrahim Sangare impressed her during the game against the Spanish team.
The £30 million midfielder came on at halftime as Nuno rearranged his XI and made some superb passes.
“A terrific ball from Sangare, who has been very good thus far. Hwang was found on the box’s edge. “A shot crashed off the woodwork,” she wrote in the Nottingham Post’s game coverage.
Clapson was not the only one who noticed Sangare’s performance, with Chris Kearney imagining a midfield of Anderson, Danilo, and Sangare for the next season.
Nuno worked Forest hard in Spain.
The benefit of traveling abroad during the pre-season is that the players may practice and play in a different climate.
Of course, it’s always good to get some sun on your skin, but it also allows Nuno to really challenge his guys’ conditioning.
Pre-season is all about getting the players physically ready for the lengthy season ahead, and Forest found themselves working in Spain’s 40-degree heat.
Despite this, Anthony Elanga has confessed that Nuno put Forest through double training sessions during their week in Spain.
Forest’s 2023/24 campaign has been rocky, but it appears that the players are working hard to avoid another relegation struggle.
