Teams of the season Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest and Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth doing it differently

Manchester City’s slump has the story of the first half of the season.

While Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will still be hoping they can become the story of the second by lifting the title. But how about two teams sandwiched between them all?

Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth in fourth and fifth spot respectively at Christmas, overachieving resources and expectations. What is most fascinating about that is not just that they have managed to do it but how they have managed to do it.

One of the criticisms of the Premier League in สมัคร ufabet recent seasons has kind of orthodoxy of approach, undoubtedly influenced by the success of Pep Guardiola. The game has bent in the direction of his football as teams seek possession of the ball.

It felt like 2024 was the year that the culture wars came to football.

Everyone had to have a view on Ange Postecoglou. Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany, a Guardiola protégé, was appointed head coach of Bayern Munich despite being relegated with Burnley.

Russell Martin seemed to view Southampton suffering the same fate as a price worth paying. “We have to believe in something.” He talked not just of principles of play but values, ascribing almost a moral element to it. Style not as a means but an end in itself.

Against this backdrop, the rise of Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth feels as timely as it is revealing. Because these are two of that increasingly small group of clubs whose coaches appear prepared to play a different kind of football to the rest.