Nuno Espírito Santo has faced criticism following Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Manchester City, with his decision to leave Anthony Elanga out of the starting lineup leaving fans and pundits baffled.
At Wembley, Espírito Santo wasn’t afraid to make bold calls, including giving academy graduate Zach Abbott a surprise start at right-back.
However, not all of his decisions paid off — dropping Elanga proved costly for Forest in the semi-final.
Ian Wright, along with Micah Richards and Gary Lineker, expressed confusion over Elanga’s omission.
Micah Richards and Gary Lineker question Elanga absence
Post-match, Espírito Santo was asked about the decision but did not express any regret over benching the Swedish international.
Elanga’s exclusion, after a string of strong performances, left supporters stunned — a sentiment shared by both Richards and Lineker.
Discussing the decision on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards admitted:
> “I thought Forest did well. I missed all the pre-game talk, but why wasn’t Elanga starting?”
Lineker responded:
> “I don’t know, he’s left him out a few games recently.”
Richards continued:
> “Maybe he had a knock or something. But as soon as he came on, he changed the game. He should have scored earlier when it was 1-0.”
Elanga crucial for Forest’s Premier League run-in
While Nuno may not acknowledge his Wembley error, he must learn from it quickly, with only five games left this season.
Forest currently sit sixth in the Premier League, just outside the Champions League spots, and have a game in hand on fifth-placed Chelsea.
If Forest are to realise their European ambitions, players like Elanga must play a central role.
Moving forward, Nuno needs to shelve any hesitation and back Elanga to deliver at this crucial stage.
Anthony Elanga 24/25 season stats:
Appearances: 38
Goals: 6
Assists: 10
(Stats correct as of 28/04/2025)
Whether Nuno will set aside his pride and learn from this decision remains to be seen.
‘I don’t know’… Micah Richards and Gary Lineker left confused at Nuno Espirito Santo omission vs Man City
