Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game at Brentford (15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Nuno said midfielder Danilo is “closer to working with us” but Ibrahima Sangare “has not joined the group yet”. The boss insisted Forest “need them as soon as possible”.
He added there are other “issues” with fitness in the squad: “We have a lot of things to assess and problems we had in the previous game. We still have tomorrow to assess the players and then go to London.”
On reaching a year in charge at Forest: “Time flies. Feeling good. It started difficult but it is good. I am enjoying it. You never know what is going to happen. Last season, there were a lot of things to start to solve. We did well and now is the beginning of something we want to do together.”
Does he allow himself to enjoy the good moments? “Of course. We enjoy working – we enjoy competing. This is what really pushes us. After the game, you immediately start thinking about the next one and that is enjoyable. Life is not just smiles. The tough moments are also important to be there.”
He views last weekend’s win over Aston Villa as significant: “Nights like last week make it all worth it because the fans are happy and singing even when the match is over. This is what we work for.”
On the challenge posed by the Bees: “Very good team, very strong at home and doing very well. Defensively we have to be really good, solid and compact. Set-pieces, throw ins… they have many ways to create danger and opportunities. They can achieve goals in the first minute so we have to start concentrated. We need to play our game and cause them problems too.”
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