The Easter weekend has seen the gap from 3rd place to 7th place in the Premier League shrink to two points, while it has come to the attention of fans that 5th place will now be awarded Champions League football for next season.
This is due to England's superior position in the UEFA coefficient rankings supplied by the advances of Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea in their respective European campaigns.
Nuno stood firm on his view that Forest are in control of their own destiny as they vie with the teams around them, with an eye on the rearview mirror, but also with an eye on Arsenal, who are in touching distance.
"In regards to the other teams, nothing has changed since the last weeks. It is in our hands and we cannot control them. Now it is about reacting and improving."
Nottingham Forest have slipped into 6th place as the teams around them have picked up points. They await to participate in the final fixture of the Easter period in North London.
The Tricky Trees have had two consecutive losses, and a third under Nuno Espirito Santo would be the first time in over a year during his tenure.
Everton's Abdoulaye Doucouré stole three points at the City Ground last Saturday with a stoppage time winner.
A week prior, Aston Villa clung onto victory despite Jota Silva halving their two-goal lead, as Forest's efforts whistled off target.
Nuno returns to his former club, with Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min, who will miss the contest through a minor injury, being the only two players still at Spurs that featured in his last match at the helm in November 2021.
The Portuguese manager was dismissed after less than four months in charge in the 2021/22 season.
Ange Postecoglou is on course to be leading his outfit to their worst league position in the Premier League era.
He has been given nearly two seasons which have consisted of periods under significant turmoil, but he still remains the familiar face representing Spurs, who are aiming to reverse their woes in the run-in.
Referring to the under fire manager that will be in the adjacent dugout on Monday, Nuno shared supportive words.
"All managers, we face the same. It's up to use to try and ignore and focus on the job we can control. Like me, like Ange, like all the managers in the world, what we can control is preparing our players."
Tottenham Hotspur have one win in six Premier League ties. Their Europa League heroics have earned them a semi-final place as the squad seems to be reviving, entering the closing stages of the campaign.
It was the quintessential performance at the City Ground the last time the two teams faced off on Boxing Day.
Forest scored early, with Morgan Gibbs-White driving up the pitch on the counter-attack, feeding Anthony Elanga who slotted home his chance.
Spurs had 70% possession in the game yet Nottingham Forest had more expected goals.
Nuno seems to be making a case for his strategy, which is supposedly defensively oriented, garnering more goalscoring opportunities than opponents that place more value on possession.
Tottenham have scored the fifth most goals in the Premier League with 60 goals, 1 less than Arsenal, even though they sit in 16th place.
Ex-Nottingham Forest player Brennan Johnson is Spurs' top goalscorer this season and he will be considered a threat as he will likely step into the attacking limelight against his former club.
The Tricky Trees will have to match that attacking firepower and expect a potentially chaotic affair Tottenham commonly produce at their ground. The first goal for Forest could pave the way to the result the visitors need.
Nuno clarified that Taiwo Awoniyi and Forest's standout stalwart right-back Ola Aina are "still carrying some problems" and need to be assessed before Monday night's match gets underway.
Forest have lacked the clinical edge in Chris Wood's brief absence, and his goalscoring prowess needs to reignite when The Garibaldis need it most.
He managed to get a game under his belt against Everton, but the 33-year-old had the least touches of any outfield player to have played 90 minutes.
Even though his involvement is often limited as a striker within his manager's system, he was largely anonymous throughout in his contributions.
Nuno stated: "We have to manage Chris. He has been out for a while. Everton was good but not as good as we want. We are positive that on Monday he will be better."
Forest have been granted a full nine days to prepare for the contest against Tottenham Hotspur, who have a shorter turnaround following their intense 1-0 showcase at Frankfurt in mid-week.
Nuno Espirito Santo alluded to players like Wood welcoming the gap, "It was good. Many of them are struggling with some situations. A clear week was good for us because it allowed us to recover players and not push them immediately after a big effort."
When the title race heats up, most of the final day anticipation revolves around it.
However, the current race for Champions League football is the most compelling aspect of the top flight.
With six games to go, it would be a cruel fate for Forest to slip from the heights they have maintained all season, and the prospect of 5th place or above now becomes more of an expectation than it has been for some time.
Nuno brushed aside the rhetoric of pressure heaped onto the shoulders of his camp, instead encouraging his team to appreciate and relish the opportunity.
"The expectation around us started the moment we were able to perform and get results. We are delighted, we embrace the challenge. We're not stepping back, we're stepping in. We want to try to get it. It's going to be very hard, but, believe me, we are putting everything that we have into these final moments of the season."
