Welcome to The Debrief. In his Sky Sports column, Adam Bate combines data and opinion to examine the key stories from the latest Premier League matches. this week:
Explaining Gibbs-White’s form and why De Zerbi praised Kinski Soucek as still a space invader
How Forrest unlocked Gibbs-White
No player will score more goals in the 2026 Premier League than Morgan Gibbs-White. Nottingham Forest players have been in double figures since the start of the year. Since the beginning of March, he has scored seven times, three more than any other player in this competition.
His remarkable rise in form was highlighted by a hat-trick against Burnley and another in the 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland last time out. His goal lifted Forest out of the relegation zone and could potentially take Gibbs-White to this summer’s World Cup.
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Watch for free: Nottingham Forest vs. Burnley highlights
It’s a big change since he was in poor form at the beginning of this season. The familiar flick didn’t go away. He did not fare well under manager Ange Postecoglou and never looked happy while playing for Sean Dyche’s team.
Vitor Pereira has benefited from having him play a little further forward and encouraging his trademark driving runs. According to Opta, he has achieved the most under any Forest manager since joining the club in 2022. He is currently receiving many opportunities.
Gibbs-White heat map for Nottingham Forest reflects changes
Certainly, this goal total is no coincidence. His expected goal tally under Pereira is also an all-time high, more than double the number he had earlier in his Forest career under already popular manager Steve Cooper. So what exactly has changed?
The goals have been pouring in for most of this year, but the tweaks we made to our tactics at half-time against Burnley really helped. With Forest trailing behind at the City Ground, with Igor Jesus replacing Dylan Bakwa, his Premier League future appears to be in jeopardy.
Gibbs-White was deployed in a new role, helping Omari Hutchinson find more space as he drifted in from the left flank where he was asked to stay wide on the opposite flank. It was a win in an offensive sense, even if it required a lot from the players.
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Watch for free: Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest match highlights
“When I told him that when he’s attacking, I want him to play in the pocket, but when he’s defending, he has to defend on the flanks, that wasn’t a problem for him,” Pereira explained in his post-Burnley press conference. “He understands the game. He has the spirit.”
Pereira added: “When a team is struggling in a game, many players may not want the ball and want to hide. But Morgan wants the ball, he wants the responsibility. He wants to score goals, he wants to assist.” At Sunderland he achieved both.
Ibrahim Sangare has played a key role in Nottingham Forest’s defense this season.
Don’t underestimate the importance of Ibrahim Sangare in unlocking Gibbs-White’s form either. The midfielder has been a defensive giant since returning from the African Cup of Nations in January and Forest appear to be a different team with him.
This season, Sangare has won just one of the 10 Premier League games he hasn’t started, but has picked up 34 points from the 24 games he has played. For Forest, finding the right structure was critical. The talented Gibbs-White did all the rest.
Kinski’s moment of redemption
Antonin Kinski made a dramatic save from Adam Armstrong in Tottenham’s win over Wolves
Antonin Kinski played an important, if not necessarily busy, role in Tottenham’s win over Wolves. His save from Joao Gomez’s free-kick into the top corner in added time ensured Spurs’ first Premier League win of 2026 and means they still have hope of staying.
Many will be rooting for the 23-year-old Czech after his embarrassing and humiliating experience against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, where he made two mistakes and was replaced by then-manager Igor Tudor before half-time.
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Watch for free: Wolves vs Tottenham Hotspur match highlights
“He deserved this day because he played so well,” Robert de Zerbi said on Saturday. “Especially today he was extremely important for the result. He deserves everything because he is a good man and a good keeper. Especially after Madrid, he deserves a day like today.”
What the disastrous night in Madrid obscured is that Kinski is at Tottenham because of his talent and potential. His distribution with the ball at his feet is actually considered a strength and his performance at Molineux reflected this when passing out from the back.
Kinski’s pass map during Tottenham’s win over Wolves
He also put in a great performance when he came off his line to beat Adam Armstrong to the ball after being attacked by Kevin Danso. He showed decisiveness. Spurs need him to make a run for it. If Kinski can continue to play that role, it could be a redemption story of sorts.
Soucek is a hero for West Ham
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Watch for free: West Ham vs Everton match highlights
Kinski wasn’t the only Czech player to have a successful Premier League weekend. Tomas Soucek scored West Ham’s opening goal in West Ham’s 2-1 win over Everton, then produced a stunning goal-line clearance with the same header to secure the three points.
Soucek scored 41 goals in the Premier League for West Ham. Only 11 of the male players in this competition have scored more goals for their current clubs. This is not only a testament to the 31-year-old midfielder’s longevity, but also to his rare ability to create space in the penalty box.
West Ham’s Tomas Soucek’s goal map shows threat from close range
Nuno Espirito Santo mentioned this after scoring against Burnley earlier this season. “He recognizes space,” he said after scoring against Manchester United. “Thomas has the quality to always find space and score.” He just keeps doing it.
Soucek scores the opening goal in West Ham’s win over Everton
There was a time when Nuno felt West Ham needed more energy in midfield and opted for the young duo of Freddie Potts and Sungtu Magassa. That plan was abandoned when West Ham were three points down at half-time at Wolves in January.
Soucek came on as a substitute in that game and has since started the last 14 Premier League games, helping to turn his fortunes around alongside Matheus Fernandes. West Ham have been ranked sixth in the table since mid-January.
Soucek was a typical man as he spent Sunday morning cheering on his West Ham staff colleagues as they took part in the London Marathon. Jarrod Bowen is a beloved captain, but the club has another talisman that could be a major factor in its survival.
