“Morgan wants the ball, he wants the responsibility. He wants to score goals, he wants to assist.”
Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira was full of praise for Morgan Gibbs-White following Friday’s 5-0 mauling of Sunderland. It’s hardly a surprise. Gibbs-White is one of the Premier League‘s form players, right now.
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Gibbs-White scored one and assisted another at the Stadium of Light to all-but secure the Tricky Trees’ top-flight status. It comes less than a week after his hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Burnley. The midfielder has scored 13 league goals this season. Ten of those have come in 2026. No player has netted more this calendar year.
Things could have been so different for both player and club, too. Tottenham Hotspur notably triggered the midfielder’s release clause last summer. They agreed personal terms with Gibbs-White. Forest kicked off, big time, as they sought to retain a key player’s services.
The England international ultimately put pen to paper on a new deal at the City Ground. Gibbs-White, meanwhile, has seemingly made it his personal mission to relegate the north London side. Friday’s 5-0 win over Sunderland leaves Forest five points clear of the capital outfit with four games to play.
Pereira appointment saw Gibbs-White blossom
So, what exactly has changed that’s seen Gibbs-White propel himself back into the limelight? Well, for a start Forest’s managerial pendulum has swung back in the favour of Gibbs-White as a player. The gameplan under Nuno Espirito Santo was reactive. Forest sat deep to hit opponents on the counter.
The Midlands side ranked 18th for possession (40.7%) and fifth for counter-attacking goals (7) in the Premier League last season. The more attack-minded Ange Postecoglou struggled at the City Ground before Sean Dyche took over. “I feel like I can finally breathe,” Gibbs-White said when the former Burnley boss took over last October.
It wasn’t all swings and roundabouts, and the Englishman’s reactive approach ultimately stifled Forest. Pereira, just as he did with Wolverhampton Wanderers, now looks to have Forest on the straight and narrow. That shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Portuguese boss was able to maximise Wolves’ key man in Matheus Cunha to drag them to safety last year. He’s repeating the feat with Forest and Gibbs-White.
Forest boss harnessing midfielder’s attacking talent
It’s a simplistic way of measuring how Pereira has brought out the best in Gibbs-White, but fact of the matter is, the 26-year-old is operating closer to the opposition goal. Chances created per 90 minutes may have dropped from 1.6 to 1.2 under Pereira, but other key attacking metrics have increased.
Indeed, Gibbs-White has seen a rise in take ons completed per 90 (0.7 to 1), shots per 90 (2.1 to 2.6) and ball recoveries (2.7 to 3.6). Conversion rate has risen from 16.2% to 35%. The above heatmaps also show a player who is operating in more central areas to influence the game. Pereira is simply utilising Gibbs-White better than Dyche did.
While the latter did primarily use Gibbs-White in the No.10 role, he was instructed to drift to the left. Now, Pereira has Gibbs-White coming inside into really hurt opponents in central areas. It’s such a basic fix that has reaped the rewards. After all, had the Premier League season started when Pereira took over the Forest reins in mid-February, they’d sit seventh in table.
4-4-2 setup
And part of the core reason behind the change has been the decision to move to a 4-4-2 setup. Struggling to break down Burnley, Pereira switched to the system with Igor Jesus partnering Chris Wood in attack. As Omari Hutchinson held the width on the right, Gibbs-White came inside, allowing Neco Williams to overlap down the left.
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Pereira continued with a 4-4-2 for the game at Sunderland with Hutchinson again remaining high and wide, thus opening space for Gibbs-White to cut infield from the left. And with Williams willing to bombard up the left flank, Forest are able to overload down this side of the pitch. It’s hardly surprising that 41% of their attacks come down the left side, the fourth highest such proportion in the division.
Others before Pereira had struggled to maximise Gibbs-White’s ability. They either deployed him in a central role where space was, at times, at a premium, or failed to harness his attacking quality. Pereira has since found a position that maximises his offensive output without impacting Forest’s defensive resolve.
In their bid to consolidate a Premier League spot, Gibbs-White’s new-found goalscoring form is a huge boost as Forest strive to end the season on a high.