Wood feeling the appreciation of Forest boss Nuno
Stats Perform
November 28, 2024 03:30 MYT
November 28, 2024 03:30 MYT
Chris Wood says he is flourishing at Nottingham Forest because he feels the appreciation of boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
The New Zealand striker, 32, has been the surprise story of the Premier League season, scoring eight goals in 12 top-flight appearances – a tally bettered only by Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
Indeed, since Nuno took over at Forest Wood has netted 19 in 28 Premier League games and puts that down to finding a manager who knows how to get the best out of him.
In an interview with BBC Sport, he said: "You have to find where you are appreciated. Managers have their own style and how they want to play games.
"That's not anything I can control. It just means you might not be in the right area or the manager's cup of tea. There's always a manager who likes a number nine, or a false nine.
"I'm not a man who is going to beat two or three players and stick it in the top corner, I'm a man who relies on service. If they can't supply me, I can't score.
"It's about trying to find the role which fits everyone and fortunately under Nuno it has.
"The six or seven loans I had as a youngster taught me a lot about being appreciated and valued. It's not always about you as a person or player, it's how you connect and build with a team. A lot of it is out of your control."
A new week. Regroup and go again. pic.twitter.com/Y3HQU31lPf — Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) November 25, 2024
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Wood also credited now Manchester United sporting director Dan Ashworth for some useful advice when he was technical director at West Brom, one of the 11 English clubs Wood represented before landing at a 12th with Forest.
He added: "It's about making coming down the other side as small as possible to bounce back up and make a new mountain.
"Mentality is huge in sport and in football. If you can control that side of the game it helps.
"You go through these mountains and waves through the whole season. It's not just a case of skyrocketing. That's what I got told by [former technical director] Dan Ashworth when I was at West Brom. It's not always going to be plain sailing.
"There are going to be those waves and you have to ride with them and hope the downside is as small as possible to get the upsides as big as possible."