Sean Dyche often jokes that he is not seen as a trendy manager, but by the time it reached 5pm at Anfield on Saturday, his name was trending on social media.
After failing to win at Anfield in half a century, Nottingham Forest have now won twice there in two seasons. And, for the second year running, Liverpool’s title-winning manager, Arne Slot, found himself tactically outclassed by the man in the away dugout.
It was a win that lifted Forest out of the relegation zone in the Premier League — and one that suggested they are capable of continuing on an upward trajectory.
What were the foundations for another memorable day in Liverpool — and what does it tell us about the rapid progress already made under Dyche?
Here’s how Forest pulled off one of the results of the season so far.
The prep
On Tuesday — as they have been regularly since his appointment one month ago — Forest’s players were put through their paces at the Nigel Doughty Academy.
“We’ve been running, running, running. When the manager came in, he made it clear that the season starts now. He’s been putting us to work, but we needed it to compete at the highest level,” says Morgan Gibbs-White in an interview with the BBC.
Dyche refers to them as ‘beasting’ sessions. The aim is not to torment his players, but to ensure they are ready for the physical demands of how he wants them to play.
(Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
The players are all monitored, and it has been Brazilian forward Igor Jesus who has been the winner when it comes to that data.
“The manager said that we needed to get fitter and, as players, we knew that we needed to,” says Neco Williams in an interview with journalists. “Training has been really tough, there has been a lot of running — but it is only going to benefit us. You have to be fit to play the way the manager wants.”
Dyche has spoken regularly about the need to get Forest’s players into the kind of shape he desires, but the build-up to the game was about preparing minds, as well as bodies.
“They worked very hard on Tuesday, because they are still getting to where we want them to be physically,” Dyche said in his post-match press conference. “Then it was more about the tactical information. But we did not overload them with it. We kept it very basic because we trust them as a group.
“I often prefer to keep things very simple, in terms of the tactical information, ahead of these big games. It is all about the basics. They will never go out of fashion — and we did those very, very well.”
Most of the tactical information was delivered on Thursday, with assistant coach Ian Woan, the former Forest winger, leading the meeting. Such sessions are intentionally kept short — between 20 and 30 minutes. The detail is clear and concise.
Ian Woan shouts instructions to the Forest players during Saturday’s game at Anfield (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Dyche also appreciates the value of keeping the mind, as well as the body, in shape. Simon Clarkson, a man Dyche describes as a ‘life psychologist’, has been brought in to speak to the players. Dyche has utilised his services since his early days at Burnley, with Clarkson also having a role to play at Everton.
“Sometimes you need a different voice to speak to or to bounce stuff off,” says Dyche. “It’s part of my coaching toolkit. It’s someone with a different viewpoint. I’m not keen on it being a daily event, but I am keen on psychology. It’s all part of the way I work.”
Trust is a major factor with Clarkson, who is not allowed to share any of the conversations he has with the players unless they specifically give permission for him to discuss them with their manager.
The plan
Dyche has consistently impressed on his players the importance of how they play without the ball; of how they can win games when they do not have possession.
And he was very aware that they were unlikely to have much of the ball at Anfield. The blueprint was to find a way to play around Liverpool’s intensive press, not to put themselves under undue pressure by trying to play through it.
“We changed the tactical side massively. I told the players that we are not going to pass it out,” says Dyche. “We decided to go long because we knew that Liverpool were going to press the life out of us.
“We have players who can play; we know we have good players who can play ‘good’ football, as people call it. If you have seen the performances we have had so far, you will know that we are capable of mixing up our performances. If you are willing to adapt, it has a chance of working.”
The Forest players knew they would have to deal with plenty of Liverpool pressure (Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
The execution
Nothing better personified how well Forest’s game plan worked than their first goal.
When a Liverpool attack was cleared, Jesus won another header on the edge of the box, before launching himself forward at speed. Gibbs-White battled to win a challenge and returned the ball to him on the left, where Jesus then picked out the overlapping run of Dan Ndoye. The Forest winger couldn’t quite get beyond defender Ibrahima Konate, but did force a corner. From one end of the pitch to the other in a matter of seconds.
Striker Jesus defended from the front throughout. His work rate and desire shone through. He exemplified why Dyche’s intense training regime is important.
When Elliot Anderson delivered the corner, Virgil van Dijk flicked it towards the far post, where Murillo controlled, before rifling an emphatic finish into the net. Liverpool’s players complained that Ndoye had been in an offside position in the goalmouth, but he had not blocked keeper Alisson’s view nor impeded him from making a save.
If there was any controversy in the decision, it was balanced out when Jesus had a perfectly good goal ruled out moments later, for a non-existent handball.
Dyche is a very different manager from Nuno Espirito Santo, the man who started the campaign in charge. But his basic traits, when it comes to what he wants from his team, are very similar. And, crucially, this squad feels perfectly equipped to deliver on those demands.
The players have felt a degree of comfort and confidence in returning to something similar to the style of play that helped them to secure a seventh-place finish in the Premier League and a return to European football. It is also an approach that fans buy into, that they have faith in, because they have seen it work.
Defend solidly, work hard, be disciplined and organised — and be ready to hit teams with electric counter-attacks.
“You will have seen Liverpool’s press. We did not need to take any risks today; we needed to get the ball in their half and then push up the pitch. We did that and it worked for us,” says Williams. “There was nothing complex to it.
“We did well last season because of the togetherness and bond we had. The manager has helped to bring that back. We knew we were going to have to defend a lot. We knew we would have to put in a lot of hard work. If we stuck to that, we knew we would have a chance of winning.”
Forest had gone 19 games without keeping a clean sheet. They had to work hard to preserve this one. Anderson cleared one off the line, Sels made saves when he had to — the outstanding Murillo blocked a Federico Chiesa shot with a very delicate part of his body.
Liverpool had 75 per cent possession and 629 passes in comparison to Forest’s 215 — but, after they had gone ahead, it was Forest who had control.
The second goal saw Williams follow up a darting run by turning neatly and cutting the ball back for fellow full-back Nicola Savona to score confidently.
Shortly after producing an old-school clearance high into the upper tier of the Kenny Dalglish Stand, Murillo demonstrated his culture by clipping a superb 50-yard free kick to substitute Omari Hutchinson wide on the right. Dyche would have heartily approved of both moments.
“Murillo is doing very well; he is very accepting of what we are trying to work with him on. He will get fitter and stronger. All of the players have accepted what we are doing because we have put some hard yards into them. But they have all invested in that,” says Dyche.
After controlling Murillo’s pass, Hutchinson danced into the box, beat two men, and forced a save from Alisson, who could only parry the ball to Gibbs-White, who delivered a perfect finish.
“We have a very big squad now. The more we can use it, the better for us. It is important that players know what to do when they come on,” says Williams. “Omari in the last game (against Leeds) got an assist and won the penalty after coming off the bench, and here, he created a goal. That is the exact mentality we have to have. Be ready to play a part.”
Forest gave their fans a memorable afternoon at Anfield for the second season in a row (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
The mood
“It can be a landmark victory for us. It is back-to-back victories at Anfield for us and not many teams in the world can say that. We have to be proud,” says Williams.
“He (Dyche) has been huge, him and his staff. They understand what the club is about. We have got the togetherness going with the supporters and the team; that connection. You know how powerful that is,” Forest captain Ryan Yates told Sky Sports.
(Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
For Dyche, the important thing is that his players see this as a starting point.
“I said to them this week: ‘We can only guide you in the right direction, it is down to you to perform’,” he says. “They have done that. Last year, this football club used it (winning at Anfield) as a catalyst. We hope for that. But it doesn’t guarantee you the next one.
“We have to go again. Everything is not solved, but what it is is a good, strong marker about this group. They are committed to the cause. We were excellent.”