As the 2024/25 Premier League season heats up, the usual suspects continue to flex their muscles. Reigning champions Manchester City are managing the absence of Rodri to emerge as contenders once again. Pep Guardiola’s Blues have won the title in each of the last four seasons and they remain in contention after losing just one of their opening ten games so far this term.
The Etihad outfit are joined at the summit by Arne Slot’s Liverpool. The Reds have managed a seamless transition from the Jurgen Klopp era and are currently two points clear at the top of the division. Last season, they remained in contention right till the very end, before their form dropped off a cliff in the final month of the campaign and sent the title heading down the M62.
In recent years, Arsenal have also emerged as a serious contender thanks to young stars such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odehaard. They have finished in second place in each of the last two seasons, heartbreakingly losing out on the title to the Blues on the final day of last season. However, they find themselves down in fifth place at present, with a surprising name separating them from the leading duo.
The Rise of the Tricky Trees
So far this term, there is one team on everybody’s lips… Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees have emerged as the league’s surprise package in the opening ten games of the new campaign, reeling off five wins and four draws and raising the question of whether they can mount a genuine European challenge. After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, the club has defied the odds with a string of impressive performances, leading to speculation about their potential to follow in the footsteps of neighbors Leicester City, who famously claimed the Premier League title in 2016.
Forest’s remarkable start to the season has caught many off guard. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side has managed to secure several unexpected victories, including a memorable win against Liverpool at Anfield thanks to Callum Hudson-Odoi’s brilliant second-half winner. Now, the bookies are changing their tune on the East Midlands side, with the latest sports betting at Bovada odds making them a +110 contender to secure a top-half finish this season.
However, The City Ground outfit will be aiming for better than that. Forest have genuine European pedigree, having won the old European Cup in back-to-back seasons in 1979 and 1980 Brian Clough, making them one of just six English teams to have ever claimed the top prize in European club football. Now they are aiming to return to their glory days, and a top-six finish at enticing odds of +800 will surely be the target.
Strong Recruitment
A significant factor in Forest’s resurgence has been their constant moves in the transfer market. Since they arrived in the Premier League just over two years ago, the club has dropped over £400m on new signings, something that has landed them in hot water with financial fair play rules. The Tricky Trees paid the price for that last term, suffering a three-point deduction but still managing to avoid relegation and consolidate their spot in the top flight.
This season, however, they have gone from strength to strength as their upgraded squad from over the last two years begins to truly gel. Elliot Anderson was acquired from Newcastle United in the summer and he has been a standout addition, offering creativity and dynamism in midfield. Another crucial addition is Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovic, with the highly-rated former Fiorentina man’s presence solidifying a previously shaky defense.
But it is veteran striker Chris Wood that has so far stolen the show. The New Zealand international is somewhat of a journeyman in the top flight, featuring for the likes of Newcastle and Burnley without truly setting the world alight. The former Leeds United man headed to the City Ground in January 2023 – initially on loan before making the move permanent six months later – and he didn’t hit the ground running. However, in his first full season, he hit 14 goals in 31 Premier League appearances.
This season, his form has hit another level. Wood is the second top scorer in the entire league this term with eight goals in ten games. He has been terrorizing defenses up and down the division, and if he can continue in a similar vein then Forest can surely reel off further impressive results.
What Lies Ahead?
Looking ahead, Forest faces a challenging run of fixtures that will test their mettle. Encounters with two of the three favorites to win the title loom on the horizon, with trips to face Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates and Etihad respectively sure to serve as benchmarks for assessing their European ambitions. Should they come through those tests relatively unscathed, then chatter will begin to ramp up as to whether Espirito Santo’s men can follow in the footsteps of Leicester City and cause one of the great sporting upsets once more.
