Vitor Pereira demands Nottingham Forest focus as relegation fears grow
Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira insists he is ignoring the Premier League table as his side attempt to balance a relegation battle with their European campaign.
The Portuguese coach is still searching for his first league victory since taking charge at the City Ground, with Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Brighton extending the club’s winless run to five matches.
With just 10 fixtures remaining, the East Midlands outfit sit perilously close to the drop, hovering only two points above the bottom three.
However, Pereira believes checking the standings will only serve as a distraction for his struggling squad.
“I believe we need to focus on the present and focus on the day we play, focus on the game we are playing,” Pereira told BBC Sport.
“The future… we will see what happens. If you lose your focus thinking about what can happen, this is a mistake in my opinion.”
European fatigue a factor?
Forest’s domestic struggles come amidst a gruelling schedule, with the team facing six matches in the opening 22 days of March due to their Europa League commitments.
Although the Reds progressed to the last 16 despite a midweek defeat by Fenerbahce, Pereira acknowledged the heavy toll on his squad ahead of their tie against Danish side Midtjylland.
“The tiredness is not only physical, it’s mental too,” he told Sky Sports. “You need to recover.”
“But this is what we have. You cannot use the Europa League as an excuse because we are there and we are there competing.”
Pereira is the club’s fourth permanent manager of a turbulent campaign, having replaced Sean Dyche last month.
Attacking struggles hamper survival bid
It is a stark contrast to the previous campaign, where Forest finished seventh to secure European football for the first time since 1996.
Goals have been hard to come by without last season’s top scorer Chris Wood, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since October.
Only bottom club Wolves have failed to score in more top-flight games this term than Pereira’s side, who have won just seven of their 28 league outings.
To compound matters, Forest face a difficult run-in compared to their rivals, offering fewer chances to take points directly from teams around them.
Spurs dragged into the mix
Forest are not the only established side looking over their shoulder, with Tottenham also finding themselves in unfamiliar territory near the danger zone.
Spurs sit just four points above the relegation places after new boss Igor Tudor lost his first two league matches at the helm.
Like Forest, the north Londoners are also contending with continental distractions as they navigate the Champions League.
Elsewhere, Leeds United remain in the conversation with only seven wins to their name, though they maintain a six-point cushion over the bottom three.