How Chris Wood has revived the old-school No 9 role: CHRIS SUTTON reveals the secret tricks that have led to Nottingham Forest star's stunning form... but MARTIN KEOWN explains how to stop him!
- Wood has scored 21 goals in the Premier League since the start of last season
- Only Erling Haaland and Ollie Watkins have more goals in the same time period
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Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood has enjoyed a stunning start to the Premier League season, scoring eight goals in their opening 10 matches.
Only Erling Haaland has scored more than Wood in the top flight this season, with the Man City forward finding the back of the net 11 times.
The 32-year-old's form has been sustained with only Haaland and Watkins boasting more non penalty goals than the 21 he has managed since the start of last season.
Eight of those goals have come from headers, the joint most in the top flight during that period - tied with Watkins.
Mail Sport's Chris Sutton and Martin Keown offer their expert opinion on why Wood is proving so effective and is reviving the old school No 9.
Chris Wood has eight goals in 10 Premier League matches this season for Nottingham Forest
THE STRIKER’S VIEW - CHRIS SUTTON
Hold on. He’s a 6ft 3in Premier League striker called Chris and has been unfairly stereotyped as a head on a stick? This is beginning to sound familiar.
I’m not saying it’s disrespectful to call Chris Wood an ‘old-school centre forward’. He is that in many ways. He stays at the head of the Nottingham Forest team, centrally, and never strays too far from goal.
Wood himself has talked of wanting to ‘bring it back’ after it became much more fashionable to have a smaller, technically gifted, quick striker. But study closer and you will see Wood is more than a big lump throwing his weight about.
He is 32 now, soon to turn 33, but it is to do with quickness of mind, not necessarily what is left in your legs. Wood is very intelligent in how he creates situations from which he scores and maybe that has gone unnoticed because of how easy he makes it seem.
Look at his opener in the 3-1 win at Leicester. Strikers see a different picture to everyone else on the pitch and Wood already had that swivelled move planned in his mind as he received the ball, his awareness and accuracy making it look natural.
Only Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been flagged offside more than Wood this season. Your first thought might be to consider that as a negative, that it is because he’s not the fastest running in behind, so he’s trying to steal yards. But it could be a positive, a consequence of clever play from a striker who sees the bigger picture.
Wood often places himself directly behind the opposition backline in an offside position. If a ball in behind is intended for him, naturally he’s flagged. But when it’s played wide to a Forest winger, it means he’s got a headstart on his opponents. Defenders are suddenly playing catch-up, panicking as they desperately gallop back towards their goal, their focus on the ball rather than him.
Wood's first goal at Leicester showed his striker's instincts with his swivel planned in his mind
The 32-year-old is not the quickest but positions himself intelligently to get ahead of defenders
Wood relies on service and Nottingham Forest have been giving him that in abundance
Wood uses that situation to his advantage as expertly as anyone I’ve seen and it was precisely how he opened the scoring in last Saturday’s 3-0 win over West Ham.
He isn’t one for skinning four men and sending the ball into the postage stamp. He relies on service and Forest have been giving him that in abundance.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santo says his team start every game wanting to keep a clean sheet, but to his credit he’s struck a nice balance, with Wood giving them options.
They’re happy to counter-attack, happy to create their own chances and happy to go direct if need be. Only Bournemouth have played a higher percentage of their passes long because Forest know their forward is not afraid of an aerial duel. But first and foremost, Wood is their finisher, the man who completes the moves, often with one touch. Never underestimate the importance of experience. If I’d known at the start of my career what I knew at the end, I’d have been laughing.
Wood has been taken for granted for too long, by supporters, the media and opponents. We’ve always known he’s been there, at one club or another, but finally his goals are forcing everyone to wake up to him.
THE DEFENDER’S VIEW - MARTIN KEOWN
Chris Wood has been criminally underrated as a Premier League goalscorer for way too long, including by his opponents.
If you want to boost your chances of stopping the Nottingham Forest man, you need to get so tight to him that he thinks you’re auditioning to be his shadow. Become his worst enemy for the day. Between you and your central defensive partner, never let this striker out of your sight.
I’m not saying that would definitely stop him. Even then, he can use his big frame to block you from getting to the ball first. But that is where I would start if I wanted to try to limit Wood’s influence.
Defenders have not been showing the 32-year-old enough respect. They haven’t treated his name with the same gravitas they would with, say, Erling Haaland.
Defenders have not been showing Wood enough respect and must get tighter to him
Forest have pace out wide with the likes of Anthony Elanga, right, and they look for Wood
They see Wood as your typical target man, a 6ft 3in throwback, an old-fashioned No 9, but that would be underselling his skillset. He has shown himself to be one of the country’s finest finishers and slickest space invaders. If you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile.
Since the start of last season, he has scored more non-penalty Premier League goals than Cole Palmer, Mohamed Salah, Jarrod Bowen and Alexander Isak, whose arrival at Newcastle practically pushed Wood out the door.
What I admire most are the positions he takes up in the box. Forest have plenty of pace on their wings — Anthony Elanga on the right and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the left — and they know to look for Wood.
He will stay high and central, and will find space in a crowded box to pick up any passes coming inside. Once he receives the ball, he can choose from a repertoire of finishes.
I particularly liked the first of his two goals against Leicester a few weeks back, the way he lost his marker by moving into space, controlled the ball with his left foot, swivelled and scored with his right.
There is an effectiveness to Wood. He doesn’t take many penalties, but when he does they’re no-nonsense. There’s no stuttering, no hopping, no skipping. Just laces, power, precision and dependability.
Forest and Wood have been a match made in heaven. He turns 33 next month and is in the final year of his contract, so I’m sure Forest are grappling with whether to hand him a new, improved deal or try to find a replacement. But for now, they’re benefiting each other.
Newcastle must be aware of the damage Wood can do after his hat-trick last season
The Magpies need to take Wood seriously to avoid seeing him celebrate against them again
Newcastle must be aware of the damage their former forward could do to them on Sunday after his hat-trick against them last season.
He ghosted into space behind Fabian Schar to score a tap-in for his first. He turned Dan Burn before lifting the ball over Martin Dubravka for his second. He burst in behind Newcastle’s backline and rounded Dubravka for his third.
Since then, he has enjoyed a run worthy of great respect, scoring in patches, with six goals in his last five games for club and country.
Any defenders worth their salt, including Newcastle’s, need to treat Wood as seriously as they would the best in the Premier League, unless they want to see him celebrating in front of them again.
