Nicolas Dominguez on life at Nottingham Forest: Sean Dyche bond, why Elliot Anderson ‘stands out’ and looming reunion with influential Arsenal coach

Forest midfielder Nicolas Dominguez has been one of the club’s most impressive performers so far this term, but the roots of his technical and physical excellence were founded in Argentina between 2017 and 2020, when he played under a coach that he will bump into this weekend – former Manchester United defender and now Arsenal coach, Gabriel Heinze.

Heinze was Dominguez’s boss at Argentinian side Velez Sarsfield for those three years, with the pair forging a strong relationship that helped Dominguez become a full Argentina international, before Europe then came calling in the shape of Bologna.

Success at Velez – who qualified for the Copa Sudamericana in two consecutive years under his reign – also saw Heinze’s stock boosted, to the extent that both he and Dominguez now both find themselves operating in arguably the game’s best global league.

Speaking to TNT Sports in his native Spanish, Dominguez saluted Heinze’s impact on his career.

“Yes, I haven’t seen him since I left Velez, so it will be the first time,” Dominguez says.

“I will say hello to him. I don’t know if it will be before or after the game, I hope to be able to speak a bit with him.

“He’s a coach that had a big impact on me for everything he taught me, and thanks to him, I was able to come to Europe, which was one of my goals, as well as playing for Argentina, because when I was with him was when I began to play for the national side.

“So I have a lot of respect for him.”

It’s been quite the journey for the Buenos Aires-born Dominguez, arriving in Italy as the Covid-19 pandemic was sweeping across Europe, and over the last two-and-a half years, settling into the English way of life, as well as the Premier League with its distinct style.

“The biggest difference has come from being in England, because Argentina and Italy have similar cultures,” Dominguez admits.

“So it’s been about adapting myself. I arrived in Europe right when Covid started, but it wasn’t too hard for me to adapt, it wasn’t bad and I learned quite quickly, all things considered.

Paul Pogba of Juventus battles for the ball with Joshua Zirkzee and Nicolas Dominguez of Bologna during a Serie A clash in 2023

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“The biggest difference was coming here (to England), but honestly I’ve adapted well, my family is happy here, living in England.

“The only thing is the weather maybe,” he jokes, “but we’re happy here.

“I think the Premier League is the best league in the world – you only have to look at the intensity and the quality of players in it.”

Forest fans have long since got used to Dominguez’s industrious style, which has seemed at home in the English top flight.

He believes that side of his game is what has helped take him all the way from the Argentinian domestic league to where he is now.

“Since I was a kid in Argentina I’ve always been a hard worker”, he says.

“In Argentina it’s difficult to imagine for South Americans to get to Europe, because first you have to make it in your own country, and then arrive here, where the leagues are very different.

“So I think that, more than anything, Argentinian players have this idea of sacrifice in themselves, I think that’s also what it refers to.

“Whether I play or not, I always try to train to the maximum for my team-mates and myself too.”

It’s clear that this idea of 'sacrifice' is something that aligns well with the philosophy of current Forest boss Sean Dyche, who has been in his role at the City Ground since October 21.

“I think we had a good start when he took over,” Dominguez says.

“The most important thing was to be a bit more compact and a bit more solid in defence.

“He talks to us a lot, he is trying to get us all on the same page so we can get through this situation we’re in.”

Nicolas Dominguez and Sean Dyche shake hands after Forest’s Europa League clash with Utrecht last month

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Dyche is Forest’s third manager of the season so far, the result of the departures earlier in the season of Nuno Espirito Santo, and then Ange Postecoglou, the latter staying in the role for just 39 days.

Dominguez opened up on how this churn has been felt inside the dressing room, but urged his team to “remember what they are fighting for”, with Premier League survival and a potential UEFA Europa League triumph at stake.

“(The season has been) let’s say, not very positive, I think, because of the expectations and how we had finished last season and what we hoped for this year,” the midfielder says.

“But we must remember what we are fighting for now, and focus on going forward united, both in the Premier League and in Europe.

“The amount of (managerial) changes that we’ve had has probably shown a bit in our results. For me, I had Nuno last year, then when Postecoglou came in, I had only just returned from injury.

“I think what was most noticeable about the change between bosses was the way each proposed to play; it’s different from Nuno to Postecoglou and now with Dyche.

“But I think that if the team stays together, we will get there, we will adapt.”

Assessing the second half of the season ahead, Dominguez shared how he feels Forest should approach the twin focus of Europe and domestic matters.

“In Europe we’re doing well, with games still to play,” he says. “The goal now is definitely to qualify directly and not go to the play-offs. We have to prepare ourselves mentally for that.

“I think in Europe we have to keep improving during what’s left of the campaign, so we can fight for the trophy.

“In the Premier League, it’s about taking it one game at a time. The other day we had an important win against West Ham, but we have to take it one game at a time because if you lose three games, the other team might have already caught up, so we have to go for it and try to finish as high up the table as possible.”

Dominguez, despite his aforementioned knee injury that marred the start to his campaign, has worked his way back into the Forest starting XI over the past couple of months, playing further forward and scoring in the vital win over The Hammers last week – “it had been a long time” – and forming a high-quality midfield trio with young England pair Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.

Anderson has had something of an annus mirabilis for club and country, featuring in every single Premier League game bar one last season as Forest qualified for the Europa League, winning the 2025 Under-21 European Championship with England, and then becoming a regular in Thomas Tuchel’s full England team.

Dominguez revealed the key trait that he believes gives the 23-year-old Anderson “that extra something”.

“I think he already had the quality,” Dominguez says. “But what stands out the most at his young age is the personality he has.

“I think this is what gives him the edge, because technically and physically he’s a fantastic player.

“What gives him that extra something, why he’s doing so well here, why so many teams are watching him, why he could go to the national team and why there’s so much talk about him, is the character and personality he has at such a young age.”

Nicolas Dominguez celebrates with Elliot Anderson after scoring for Forest at West Ham last week

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International football is something still on Dominguez’s radar too.

Whilst domestically the 27-year-old wants to “continue spending as much time as possible playing in European competitions and fighting in big competitions,” there is the looming carrot of a World Cup summer ahead.

“Of course I have the footballing objective to be able to have the chance to go to the World Cup,” he says.

“But I know that it’s very difficult to get into the Argentina squad. Today they’re the best in the world, they’ve shown that over many years. So I know it’s difficult, they have great players.

“It’s a personal objective but I think in order to get there, I’ve got to do good things with my club first and be in good form on the pitch.”

This summer’s World Cup could be the footballing swansong of Lionel Messi.

Dominguez has got to know his illustrious compatriot well during his 11-cap international career, and reflected on the pressure Messi has been under during a long stint in the Albiceleste shirt.

“The truth is I don’t know,” Dominguez answers, when posed the Messi retirement question.

“I hope not (I really hope not), because not only Argentinians, but I think the whole world loves Messi and likes to see him on the pitch, Argentinians especially, for everything he has given us.

“We know that he went through many, many years where the Argentinian people put a lot of pressure on him, but he never showed it and he was always there for the shirt.

Lionel Messi (centre) midfielder Rodrigo De Paul (left) and Nicolas Dominguez (right) in Argentina training before a meeting with Peru in 2022

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“I think he showed that he loves Argentina and I think that later that paid off, allowing him to win so many titles – the Copa America twice and the World Cup – and to be where he is today.”

And so full circle to the short-term and Arsenal on Saturday, with Forest up against a team sitting six points clear at the top of the league.

Are The Gunners – after three seasons as runners-up – finally ready to win the title, in Dominguez’s view?

“I think the team is still the same. It feels like most of their players have been on every one of their sides I’ve faced,” he says.

“For me, they’ve been one of the toughest teams.

“Maybe they’re closer to the title, because they have built a good lead, even if the Premier League is a very difficult league, and other matches are tough. They look much more solid than in other years.

“I think the team we’ll face is the same, or even better, than in previous years.”

It’s a huge game for both sides and their contrasting league objectives – and Dominguez will likely play a key role in shaping the outcome.