When Nottingham Forest signed 22 players after gaining promotion from the Championship last summer, manager Steve Cooper faced the almost impossible task of gelling his new-look squad and keeping the club in the Premier League.
Against the odds, the Tricky Trees avoided relegation and secured their top-flight status on the penultimate weekend of the season, claiming a memorable victory over title-chasing Arsenal in front of a passionate City Ground crowd.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look back at Forest's 2022-23 campaign, which saw the East Midlands outfit enjoy a memorable return to top-flight action.
SEASON OVERVIEW
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Final league position: 16th
EFL Cup: Semi-finals
FA Cup: Third round
Top scorer: Taiwo Awoniyi (11)
Most assists: Morgan Gibbs-White (8)
When Steve Cooper replaced Chris Hughton in the City Ground hot seat back in September 2021, Nottingham Forest were rock bottom of the Championship and heading for relegation, but the new manager transformed the club's fortunes and oversaw a remarkable promotion push, ending Forest's 23-year absence from the Premier League.
Having gained promotion with a team made up largely of loan players and academy products, the Tricky Trees urgently needed to bolster a threadbare squad in order to cope with the demands of top-flight football, and Greek owner Evangelos Marinakis wasted no time in splashing the cash.
Before a ball had even been kicked in 2022-23, Forest had already smashed the British record for signings made by one club during a single transfer window, with more than 20 fresh faces arriving at the City Ground.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Taiwo Awoniyi, Neco Williams, Emmanuel Dennis and Orel Mangala all arrived with eight-figure price tags, while familiar Premier League names such as Jesse Lingard, Dean Henderson, Cheikhou Kouyate, Willy Boly and Serge Aurier were also recruited, not to mention Champions League regulars like Renan Lodi and Remo Freuler.
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Following a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United on the opening weekend, Nottingham Forest's mishmash of players looked destined to struggle in the Premier League, but after a home victory over West Ham United and a draw with Everton at Goodison Park, the newcomers appeared to have found their feet.
However, Forest endured a nine-game winless run between late August and mid-October, taking three points from a possible 27 while suffering a 6-0 thrashing at Manchester City and a 4-0 defeat to East Midlands rivals Leicester City.
Acknowledging that a change had to be made in order to stop the rot and prevent further thrashings, Cooper abandoned his favoured shape and switched to a four-at-the-back formation to tighten things up defensively, and the manager's change of approach had the desired effect.
After earning a hard-fought goalless draw at Brighton & Hove Albion, the Reds claimed a memorable 1-0 victory over Liverpool before drawing with Brentford and beating Crystal Palace, while Forest also booked their place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup with a 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur.
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Given the team's momentum, the World Cup break came at the wrong time for Forest, although it gave Cooper the chance to add more players to his injury-plagued squad, including Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas, Newcastle duo Chris Wood and Jonjo Shelvey, Palmeiras pair Gustavo Scarpa and Danilo, as well as Atletico Madrid defender Felipe.
Nottingham Forest returned from the break with a 4-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers, punching their ticket to the EFL Cup quarter-finals, and although they suffered a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Blackpool, Cooper's men chalked up a five-match unbeaten run in the league.
Following a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, Forest picked up their first – and what would prove to be their only – Premier League away win of the season, defeating relegation rivals Southampton before notching positive results against Leicester, Bournemouth and Leeds United.
With homegrown favourites such as Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates and Joe Worrall beginning to look like genuine top-flight players, it seemed as though Forest would solidify mid-table security, but following a humbling 5-0 aggregate defeat to Manchester United in the EFL Cup semi-finals, things started to turn sour.
Between February and April, the East Midlands outfit endured an 11-match winless run, suffering eight defeats in the process, while Cooper's job appeared to be on the line as the club plummeted back into the bottom three.
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However, while many of Nottingham Forest's regelation rivals frantically changed managers in an attempt to beat the drop, Marinakis decided to stick with Cooper, and the manager repaid the owner's faith.
After ending their lengthy winless run with a hugely impressive 3-1 victory over European-chasing Brighton, Forest secured a dramatic 4-3 win against Southampton before holding Chelsea to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, with a 1-0 victory over Arsenal securing the club's top-flight status with a game to spare.
A 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on the final day of the season – courtesy of Taiwo Awoniyi's sixth goal in four matches – saw Forest finish four points clear of the relegation zone, having spent much of the campaign in the bottom three.
Considering the size of the task that Cooper faced at the start of the season, the relatively inexperienced manager must be given immense credit for keeping Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Wins: 9 (=17th)
Draws: 11 (=6th)
Losses: 18 (=8th)
Goals scored: 38 (=16th)
Goals conceded: 68 (=5th)
Yellow cards: 84 (=1st)
Red cards: 0 (=20th)
Passes: 12,091 (20th)
Shots: 368 (19th)
Big chances missed: 28 (=18th)
Saves: 115 (10th)
Tackles: 660 (8th)
Own goals: 0 (=20th)
Hit woodwork: 9 (16th)
Clearances: 892 (2nd)
HOW DID IT COMPARE TO LAST SEASON?
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The Tricky Trees may have enjoyed unrivalled success under Brian Clough during their heyday – winning back-to-back European Cups while stockpiling trophies for fun – but it is difficult to compare Nottingham Forest's 2021-22 campaign to any other season in the club's history.
In the space of eight months, Cooper transformed Forest from Championship basement dwellers to playoff winners, with the East Midlands outfit suffering 12 defeats in 46 matches en route to finishing fourth in the second tier.
In 2022-23, Forest lost 18 of their 38 Premier League encounters, recording nine wins and 11 draws along the way, and that record saw them average exactly one point per game, compared to 1.7 points per game the season before.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the promotion season and the comeback campaign in the Premier League is the team's away record, as Forest managed to win just one of their 19 matches on the road in 2022-23, taking a measly eight points from a possible 57.
By contrast, Cooper's side posted the third-best away record in the Championship in 2021-22, registering 10 wins, seven draws and six losses to take 37 points from a possible 69, while they also posted the joint-best defensive record on the road.
Of course, it was always going to be difficult for Forest to replicate their Championship away form in the Premier League, but the stark contrast between the two seasons is difficult to ignore.
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE
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More than a few eyebrows were raised when Nottingham Forest agreed a deal worth £42.5m – including add-ons – for Morgan Gibbs-White last summer, with many believing that Forest had paid over the odds for the Wolves outcast.
However, five goals, eight assists and countless influential moments later, everyone involved with Forest will tell you that Gibbs-White was worth every penny of his initial £27m transfer fee, as the 23-year-old enjoyed a standout debut season at the City Ground.
Having shown glimpses of brilliance throughout the campaign, the talented playmaker came into his own towards the end of the season, bagging three goals and three assists across the final seven matches to help the Reds beat the drop.
Honourable mentions include rising star Brennan Johnson, who marked an eye-catching maiden campaign in the Premier League with eight goals and three assists, and Taiwo Awoniyi, who netted six goals in the final four games to fire his team to safety.
The likes of Serge Aurier, Felipe and Danilo also played key roles in the club's run to survival, but few would argue that Gibbs-White was not Forest's standout player across the course of the season.
STANDOUT RESULT: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 3-1 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
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When Brighton arrived on the banks of the River Trent in late April, Nottingham Forest found themselves second from bottom in the table following four consecutive defeats, with a recent loss at Anfield extending their winless run to 11 matches.
At the opposite end of the standings, the Seagulls were flying high in the European places thanks to a run of one defeat in seven games, having dispatched Chelsea and Stamford Bridge in their previous league outing.
Given the contrasting form of the two sides, all the signs pointed towards another disappointing result for Cooper's side, but the relegation strugglers ended up securing a memorable victory over the European chasers.
An early penalty miss from Johnson was punished by Brighton when Facundo Buonanotte put the visitors ahead on 38 minutes, but a Pascal Gross own goal on the stroke of half time breathed life into Forest and their passionate supporters.
Second-half goals from Danilo and Gibbs-White saw the hosts wrap up a much-needed win, and that triumph sparked a run of three victories in five matches to keep the club in the Premier League.
> Click here for a full list of Nottingham Forest's results from the 2022-23 season
BEST MOMENT
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Following months of uncertainty, Nottingham Forest's best moment of the 2022-23 campaign came on the penultimate weekend of the season, when Cooper's men defeated Arsenal 1-0 at the City Ground to secure their top-flight status.
Despite seeing just 18% of the ball while facing a barrage of attacks, Forest managed to keep the Gunners at bay, with Awoniyi's 19th-minute strike keeping the Tricky Trees in the division while ending Arsenal's title dreams once and for all.
Forest fans had not seen Cooper's trademark fist-pumps for a long time, but the elated – and clearly relieved – manager celebrated with the supporters after the full-time whistle, thanking them for their unwavering support.
TOP PRIORITY FOR SUMMER
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Despite the fact that Nottingham Forest signed 30 players across the previous two transfer windows, Cooper will be eager to clear out the deadwood and recruit more top-level players ahead of another relentless Premier League campaign.
First and foremost, Forest need a first-choice goalkeeper, as Keylor Navas and Dean Henderson have returned to their parent clubs following loan spells at the City Ground, leaving out-of-favour Wayne Hennessey as the only option in that department.
Forest are reportedly interested in signing Henderson from Man Utd on a permanent basis, although Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio has emerged as another realistic candidate in recent weeks.
The Reds will also be in the market for a left-back this summer, as Renan Lodi has returned to Atletico Madrid after a successful loan spell on Trentside, with Timothy Castagne, Pascal Struijk and Raphael Guerreiro among the available players in that position.
In addition to improving squad depth, Cooper must find a way to improve the team's performances away from home, as only eight of Forest's 38 points came on the road in 2022-23.
FINAL VERDICT
Following last summer's crazy spending spree, it felt like the majority of pundits and rival fans had written off Nottingham Forest, but Cooper and his players ultimately managed to prove their doubters wrong.
Of course, the Tricky Trees found it difficult to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, winning only nine of their 38 matches while leaking goals throughout the campaign, but they achieved their target of avoiding an immediate return to the second tier.
At the end of the day, Cooper's men will be over the moon to have finished two places and four points clear of the drop zone, given that Forest spent much of the season in the bottom three and looked destined for relegation only a couple of months ago.
Ben Morris
