- Pereira confirmed Forest had just three first-team players available from the bench on Thursday
- The Portuguese manager cited six key absentees: Aina, Gibbs-White, Sangaré, Murillo, Hudson-Odoi and Ndoye
- He criticised the referee: “a very good referee but not for us”
- Pereira insisted he is “proud” of his players despite the result
A defiant yet dejected Vítor Pereira pulled no punches at Villa Park, offering a raw and unflinching autopsy of Nottingham Forest’s Europa League exit. Despite entering the second leg with a slender lead, Forest saw their Europa League dreams dismantled in a relentless 4-0 (4-1 aggregate) defeat.
Pereira’s honest assessment followed a night where Forest simply had no answer for Aston Villa’s second-half surge. After keeping the tie balanced for the opening hour, the floodgates opened, leaving the head coach to address a collapse that saw his side fall agonizingly short of the showpiece in Istanbul.
“It was not possible” Pereira’s painful admission
Vitor Pereira did not attempt to dress up what happened at Villa Park on Thursday evening. The Forest manager spoke with raw honesty and genuine emotion about the insurmountable challenges his depleted squad faced heading into the most important game of their recent history.
His assessment was specific and unsparing. “If you look before the game on the bench we had three players, because the other ones were injured,” Pereira told TNT Sports.
“Our bench solutions from the first team were Bakwa, Luca, Murillo, who we tried but he was injured and not in condition, and Yates. This is very short to come here without solutions.” That context, three first-team bench options for a Europa League semi-final second leg, explains much of what unfolded across 90 minutes at a rocking Villa Park.
The fixture congestion compounded an already impossible situation. “Playing against Chelsea and then travelling again to come here after three days it was not possible,” Pereira admitted. Forest’s stunning 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge on Monday, which virtually secured their Premier League survival, proved a double-edged sword. The result was vital. The cost, in terms of injuries and fatigue, was devastating.
Six absentees – The list that tells the full story
Pereira’s post-match summary of his missing players was the clearest possible explanation of Forest’s inability to match Villa’s intensity from the very first whistle. “Aina, out. Morgan out. Sangaré, out. Murillo, out. Callum out. Ndoye, out,” he stated directly. “To bring the full squad we put three injured players on the bench and brought three more players from the academy.”
That combination of six key absentees, including captain and talisman Morgan Gibbs-White, defensive anchor Ibrahim Sangaré, right-back Ola Aina, and winger Dan Ndoye, stripped Forest of the personnel required to implement Pereira’s tactical system at the required level. Villa’s dominance in midfield and the absence of attacking creativity from Forest’s side were direct consequences of that depleted squad.
Referee criticism – Pereira points the finger
The Forest manager also took aim at the officiating, stopping short of a full-scale attack but making his feelings clear. “This referee was a very good referee but not for us,” he stated. “A lot of yellow cards and fouls, a lot of fouls against us and against them they forget. He permitted a lot of aggressiveness.” However, Pereira was equally clear about not hiding behind external factors. “I don’t want to use an excuse. To resume: today we were not at our level to compete for the semi-final.”
Pride despite the pain
Despite everything, Pereira’s closing words reflected the genuine affection and respect he has developed for this Forest group. “I am very proud of our supporters: they tried on this long road to help us. I am proud of my players because they tried everything.” That generosity of spirit, in defeat, after a 4-0 second-leg reversal, reflects a manager of genuine class and integrity.
ReadAstonVilla Verdict
Pereira’s honesty deserves enormous respect. Forest’s injury situation was genuinely catastrophic and his point about fixture congestion is entirely valid. However, Villa’s performance on Thursday was outstanding regardless of the opposition’s condition.
Emery’s side played with the intensity, desire, and quality that had been absent in recent weeks and they thoroughly deserved their place in Istanbul. Forest’s European journey, under four managers, was remarkable. Villa’s is just beginning.
