Portuguese manager Nuno Santo has achieved yet another remarkable feat with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, securing 4 points out of 6 in the home-and-away fixtures against Liverpool this season.
While Liverpool showed clear improvement in the second match compared to the first, the significant quality gap between the two teams cannot be overlooked. What Santo has managed to do with Forest, however, is undoubtedly a remarkable accomplishment.
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What Santo has achieved with Nottingham Forest can be compared to the miracle of Leicester City’s 2016 title win, though it’s important to note that Forest lacks the attacking quality that made Leicester’s team so effective back then. Despite this, Santo has built a solid, cohesive team with a strong defensive structure, relying on the zonal marking style popularized by Italian coaches.
It’s also worth noting that Santo previously delivered similar success with Wolverhampton in the 2018 Premier League season after their promotion, guiding the team to a seventh-place finish with a squad of largely unknown players at the time.
Undoubtedly, Santo has proven himself as one of the best managers in Europe when it comes to leading mid-table and smaller teams to unexpected success, making him the true "underdog king".
