Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill has said that his team will be coming up against the ‘form team in the league’ when they take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground tomorrow (Saturday).
Forest go into the game in the Championship play-off positions after climbing into the top six for the first time this season after a midweek win over Blackburn Rovers.
The victory came days after Steve Cooper’s men knocked FA Cup holders Leicester City out of the competition with a stunning 4-1 win.
The rise to the play-off places has seen Cooper lead his side from the bottom three to that position since taking over back in September.
“Forest are very much the form team in the league, I would suggest, along with Fulham. They’re playing extremely well,” said in his pre-match press conference (via StokeonTrentLive ).
“The manager’s had a real positive effect since he came in there clearly.
“They’ve spent money. They’ve brought players in on big wages and they spent money in the transfer window as well. That’s been shrewd business for them.”
The window saw five new players arrive at the club, including a loan deal for Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis and a permanent move for former Stoke man Sam Surridge.
Speaking more in depth about the business, O’Neill revealed that Stoke were close to signing Davis themselves months before he completed a move to the City Ground.
“Clearly Forest invested heavily in their team in January and that’s allowed them to be that team that can maybe have more energy, a bit like ourselves,” he added.
“Keinan Davis has been a good signing, an expensive signing! We were very close to doing him at the start of the season but he got injured and we weren’t in a position to be able to afford to do that in January.
“Steve Cook is a very experienced player and has been a very strong addition and Sam [Surridge] as well.
What sort of impact have the January signings had on Forest so far? Let us know in the comments section below.
“They’ve added to the squad well and that’s possibly enabled Steve to change a little bit in how they go about how they play as a team.
“We’re a bit the same. The players we’ve brought in have allowed us to change our system in recent weeks. I think that’s necessary when you have a demanding season that you do try to refresh and rejuvenate the squad at the right time.”
