Nuno says what has surprised him as Nottingham Forest aim to make Spurs suffer even more

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo admits he is surprised by Tottenham's Premier League struggles this season.

Spurs, who he briefly managed in 2020 before being sacked, are currently on course for their lowest ever Premier League position, sitting 16th in the Easter weekend table ahead of Forest's visit on Monday (8pm).

It has been a season full of surprises, with Forest launching a Champions League qualification bid, which looks like going down to the wire.

But Tottenham's struggles have been particularly eyebrow-raising, with beleaguered boss Ange Postecoglou seemingly being kept alive by their Europa League chances.

Nuno said: "I think this season there are things that were not expected, and the Spurs situation is clearly one of them.

"All teams have problems, some more than others. I'm not deeply informed on the Spurs situation, but we are talking about a big club full of talented players.

"They have a good manager that in previous seasons did fantastically well. It happens, and it's happened to many teams."

Back-to-back defeats have raised the possibility of Forest falling at the final hurdle in their quest to finish in the top five, where they have been positioned since before Christmas. In fact, the Easter weekend results have left them down in sixth, a situation they aim to remedy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But whatever happens in their remaining six games, Nuno says he is proud of the season Forest have had after flirting with relegation last term, especially with an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City to come at Wembley next Sunday.

"It is what everyone should feel," the Portuguese said. "They should feel proud and committed to the final sprint of the competition.

"I think so. That's why we as a group and as a club are proud to be in this fight.

"In one week's time we will be speaking about another huge moment for us, so we embrace it.

"We are delighted. The criticisms will come, the opinions will come, the doubts will come, and we are here for that."

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