Since Espirito Santo took charge, the average starting position of their sequences has got even deeper – suggesting Newcastle may face a particularly low block at times on Saturday. But Murillo believes – in spite of what the stats might show – that Forest are more front-footed in their approach.
“When I first arrived here [under Steve Cooper], I felt we had a more guarded, defensive style playing with three centre-backs. Perhaps it was more a case of the opponents we faced at that point. We played Tottenham, Chelsea Liverpool and Arsenal so our focus was on nullifying their attacks.
“Nuno has changed that. I feel we now have a more attacking style and the manager tells us to be more courageous on the ball.
“He tells us to trust in our quality and we should because we have the ability to play. I feel we’re more at ease and now when we come up against the big teams, we’re playing more as a back four because we know we can match them for quality and can go toe-to-toe with them. That’s been the difference.”
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