Sean Dyche plays down Nottingham Forest vs Wolves hype ahead of key clash

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has played down suggestions that Wednesday night’s trip to Wolves is a defining moment in the club’s season, insisting that every Premier League fixture carries equal weight. Forest travel to Molineux after seeing their five-game unbeaten run snapped by Brighton in a 2–0 defeat at the City Ground — only their second loss since Dyche took charge. With Wolves rock-bottom and a tense relegation picture forming, the stakes appear obvious from the outside. Dyche, however, refuses to indulge the narrative.

“They are all important games,” he said. “I’m long in the tooth with all the talk about six-pointers. Every game should be a big game. If you play right all the time, you find a consistently high level of performance.”

The message underlines a core Dyche principle: performance consistency builds survival, not isolated results. Forest remain above the relegation line — one point clear of West Ham and Leeds, two clear of Burnley — but another win would create breathing room after an encouraging recent run.

Forest’s loss to Brighton was frustrating, particularly the slow start, but Dyche insists the performance contained enough “key markers” to remain optimistic.

“We didn’t start quickly on Sunday,” he admitted. “But even though we didn’t start quick, we remained in the game. Second half was a very strong performance, barring the mistake at the end.”

Dyche’s emphasis was on the underlying behaviours: compactness, pressing triggers, recovery runs and decision-making in possession. Those elements, he believes, continue to improve.

“I don’t think there’s been a dip in momentum. Obviously you want wins — everyone wants wins — but sometimes the performance is the marker, even when the result goes against you.”

From a psychological standpoint, Dyche’s refusal to amplify anxiety is deliberate. He has long built his managerial reputation on emotional steadiness — something Forest have needed after a turbulent two-year period in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Wolves may be bottom of the table, ten points behind Forest, but Dyche warned that the league position disguises a side undergoing rapid tactical change under new manager Rob Edwards. The Midlands club narrowly lost 1–0 to an in-form Aston Villa at the weekend, and Dyche expects Wolves to be far more assertive at home.

“They looked strong against Aston Villa, who are going well themselves,” Dyche said. “They have got a new manager and he will be changing things and trying to get more out of them. We have got to be ready for that.”

Forest’s challenge is the unpredictability associated with a new-manager bounce. Edwards’ Wolves already look better structured out of possession, and their pressing intensity improved markedly against Villa. Dyche’s experience in these situations is valuable — new regimes often create short-term spikes in work rate before tactical identity fully settles.

Having followed Forest’s adjustment under Dyche, this fixture represents less a “six-pointer” and more a chance to consolidate identity. Dyche teams traditionally improve over weeks, not days, and Forest’s performances have mirrored that pattern. In our view, his insistence that Wolves are “just another game” is not deflection — it’s cultural reinforcement. Forest have too often drifted into reactive football during pressure moments; Dyche is trying to build emotional neutrality, a trait that helped Burnley overachieve for years.

Although some supporters may frame the trip as season-defining, it’s worth questioning whether Forest truly benefit from that mindset. Wolves, under Edwards, will look to disrupt rhythm and create chaos. Dyche’s men thrive when the opposite happens: calm structure, repeatable habits, trusted patterns of play.

From my experience covering relegation battles, the teams who survive are those who normalise pressure, not dramatise it. Dyche’s messaging reflects that approach.

Forest travel to Molineux on Wednesday night, aiming to avoid back-to-back defeats and rebuild the momentum that powered their recent five-game unbeaten run.

👉 How should Forest set up at Wolves — pace on the wings or an extra midfielder to control the match?