Man City will play in the Conference League when Forest does their part against West Ham to fulfill our new goal
Forest has given the rest of us faith that Man City will reach funny new heights under Pep Guardiola's leadership, and they are still in the running for the Champions League.
Having won seven of their last eight games, Nottingham Forest was tied for second place with Arsenal and as near to Liverpool (6 points) at the top as Newcastle sixth in mid-January. They widened the gap to seven points by the beginning of April, moving up to sixth place.
No matter the level, playing in Europe is an incredible accomplishment for Nottingham Forest, who ended 17th last season with fewer than half the points they have won so far this season.
However, after a run of one win in six games allowed the more conventional (let's call them dull) competitors to enter, it will be a blow, if not a crushing one, to not qualify for the Champions League after holding one of the spots for so long of the year.
With one game remaining and Forest holding a Conference League spot, it's likely that we will still be denied the opportunity to witness Evangelos Marinakis attack the Bernabeu for dubious, sincere motives. However, Forest will at least be certain that they will try their hardest to make it, just like they did at the London Stadium, for their final match at the City Ground against a Chelsea team that is completely capable of failing to show up under the intense strain.
Playing for West Ham is what you want to do. They haven't won since February and have a record of four draws and four losses, which is probably far more than they deserve.
That doesn't include their triumph over Manchester United last time out, because why would you? Alphonse Areola's poor and foolish pass into midfield, which was easily read by the playmaker before being swept home, gave Morgan Gibbs-White the goal to give Forest the lead that usually means victory against any opponent, much less West Ham.
West Ham has lost 16 of the 22 games in which they have fallen behind, and Forest has won 17 of the 24 games in which they have scored first this season, which should have calmed the nerves of Forest supporters during an absurdly drawn-out VAR check for Nikola Milenkovic's goal halfway through the second half.
By the fourth minute of a six-minute review, the VAR officials may have been pardoned for considering the fact that nobody in the world believed Graham Potter's team was scoring a goal in order to continue the tedious match.
Although Jarrod Bowen was on the field, his amazing touch and finish in the 86th minute caused Forest to collectively shut their beds as West Ham finally woke up for another twenty-one minutes that included more bizarre and unnecessary VAR checks, a good save by Matz Sels, and other unanticipated nonsense.
Nevertheless, Forest managed to secure a victory, creating the exciting possibility of five teams, separated by a single point, vying for three Champions League positions on the last day. For a four-screen configuration to be mandatory next weekend, all we need is for Newcastle, without Alexander Isak, to lose to Arsenal at the Emirates and for Manchester City, who have already lost 2-1 to the Cherries this season, to lose to Bournemouth on Tuesday. It is quite feasible, possibly even more likely than not.
The next best thing about Manchester City playing Conference League football would be happening, which would make their FA Cup final loss all the more spectacular because it would have prevented them from winning a trophy or qualifying for a better European competition than their seventh-place league finish would have allowed them. Our Arsenal dream would be over.
We would challenge the general confidence that most commentators have in Pep Guardiola's team by asking where that quality has been for the majority of this season and when these players were last fighting to qualify for the Champions League. This is because the team has a test trip to Fulham on the last day following their visit from Bournemouth.
Forest, you did incredibly well. Without a decision on their 115 charges, which had promised much more this season, you have done your part to remain in the running for your ultimate prize and have given the rest of us optimism that City will fall to new heights under Guardiola's leadership.
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