Manchester United icon Gary Neville believes Nottingham Forest will eventually slip out of the top five, despite praising Nuno Espirito Santo’s team as the ‘story of the season’ in the Premier League.
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Forest has exceeded expectations in an extraordinary top-flight campaign, currently sitting third in the table, just three points ahead of reigning champions Manchester City, two years after their promotion from the Championship. ..Continue Reading
However, two disappointing defeats have jeopardized Forest’s quest for European football, with losses to Fulham (2-1) and Newcastle (4-3) threatening their momentum.
The challenges continue for Espirito Santo’s squad as they prepare to host second-placed Arsenal at the City Ground on Wednesday night.
Both Manchester City and Newcastle could catch up to Forest on points if results favor them in the upcoming matches, and former United and England right-back Neville is concerned for the Reds’ prospects.
‘I think Nottingham Forest have been absolutely amazing, the story of the season. But I think they’ll find it hard to hang on,’ Neville told Sky Sports while predicting a top five of Liverpool, Arsenal, City, Newcastle and Villa.
‘I hope they hang on in there but my feeling is it’s going to be tough for them.
‘I think City, Villa, Newcastle and Chelsea might just [pip Forest]. Yes, 12 games is a long way to go but I still feel like it could be a long 12 games for Nottingham Forest.
‘I hope that they do stay there because that would be amazing for the Premier League. We need to see clubs that have been at the bottom one season getting towards the top six and the top four. That’s what the league needs.
‘We’re worried at the moment about the fact that the three that come up go down quite a bit and we don’t want that familiarity and predictability in the league. We need it to be the most unpredictable league in the world.
‘There’s a long way to go. Chelsea, I’m 50-50. At the moment I’m saying City, Newcastle and Villa in the top five but it could easily be Forest and Chelsea. I think it’s really so close.’
Villa triumphed over Chelsea to break their five-match winless run in the Premier League this weekend, and Neville believes this win could mark a significant turning point for Unai Emery’s squad.
‘I said a few weeks ago that I fancied Villa to get into the top four just because of Unai Emery,’ he continued.
‘They’re still in competitions but I just feel like their options up front now with the fact they’ve got [Ollie] Watkins, they’ve got [Marco] Asensio, they’ve got [Leon] Bailey, they’ve got [Jacob] Ramsey, they’ve got [Marcus] Rashford, they’ve got [Morgan] Rogers…
‘They’ve got five or six players there that you think: okay, two or three will play and then obviously they’ve got such options off the bench. They’ve left themselves in a good position.
‘Defensively, they obviously need to make sure that they can keep some players fit but I think Villa could finish the season strong.’
On Bournemouth’s chances of securing a top-five finish, Neville added: ‘They have been amazing but I don’t think they will get into the top five, that’s my view.
‘But they have been absolutely incredible and worth mentioning in the same bracket as Forest as being the team of the season or the surprise of the season.’
