Nicolas Dominguez talks about life at Nottingham Forest: Sean Dyche bond, why Elliott Anderson ‘stands out’ and looming reunion with Arsenal’s influential manager

Forest midfielder Nicolas Dominguez has been one of the club’s most impressive performers so far this season, but the roots of his technical and physical excellence were laid in Argentina between 2017 and 2020, when he played under former Manchester United defender and current Arsenal manager Gabriel Heinze, whom he will meet this weekend.

During those three years, Heinze was Dominguez’s coach at Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield, and the two developed a strong relationship that helped Dominguez become a full Argentina international before Bologna earned a call-up from Europe.

Success with Velez, who qualified for the Copa Sudamericana two years in a row under his reign, has also boosted Heinze’s stock, with both he and Dominguez now finding themselves playing in arguably the best league in the world.

Speaking to TNT Sports in his native Spanish, Dominguez paid tribute to Heinze’s influence on his career.

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

“I’m going to say hi to him. I don’t know if it’ll be before the game or after the game, but I’m hoping to talk to him a little bit.”

“He was a hugely influential coach in everything he taught me, and thanks to him I was able to not only play for the Argentina national team, but also come to Europe, which was one of my goals, because it was with him that I started playing for the national team.

“That’s why I respect him so much.”

It’s been quite a journey for Buenos Aires-born Dominguez, who arrived in Italy as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across Europe and spent the past two-and-a-half years settling into the English way of life and the unique style of the Premier League.

“Argentina and Italy have similar cultures, so the biggest difference is being in England,” admits Dominguez.

“So it was about adapting myself. We arrived in Europe right after COVID-19 started, but it wasn’t too difficult to adapt, it wasn’t a bad thing and we learned very quickly, all things considered.”

Juventus’ Paul Pogba competes for the ball with Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee and Nicolas Dominguez during the 2023 Serie A match

Image credit: Getty Images

“The biggest difference was coming here[to the UK]but to be honest I’ve adapted well and my family is happy here.

“The only thing is probably the weather,” he jokes. “But we are happy here.

“I think the Premier League is the best league in the world. The only thing to look at is the strength and quality of the players.”

Forest fans have long been accustomed to Dominguez’s hard-working style, which seems to be at home in England’s top flight.

He believes that aspect of his game has taken him all the way from Argentina’s domestic league to where he is now.

“Since my childhood in Argentina, I have always been a hard worker,” he says.

“In Argentina, it’s difficult for South Americans to imagine going to Europe, because you have to first succeed in your own country and then arrive here, where the league is very different.

“So, I think above all the Argentine players have this idea of ​​sacrifice for themselves and what that means.

“Whether I’m playing or not, I always try to train as much as I can for my teammates and for myself as well.”

It is clear that this idea of ​​’sacrifice’ fits well with the philosophy of current Forest boss Sean Dyche, who has been in the role at the City Ground since October 21st.

“I think we got off to a good start when he took over,” Dominguez said.

“The most important thing was to be a little more compact and be a little more defensive.

“He’s been talking to us a lot and trying to get us all on the same page so we can get through this.”

Nicolas Dominguez and Sean Dyche shake hands after Forest manager played against Utrecht in the Europa League last month

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Diche becomes Forest’s third manager this season, following Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure at the start of the season, followed by Ange Postecoglou, who left after just 39 days in charge.

Dominguez spoke of how the turmoil is being felt in the dressing room, but urged his team to “remember what we are fighting for” with Premier League retention and the possibility of winning the UEFA Europa League at stake.

“I don’t think[the season]was very positive. I think it’s because of the expectations and the way last season ended and the expectations for this year,” the midfielder says.

“But we have to remember what we are fighting for now and focus on moving forward together, both in the Premier League and in Europe.

“The amount of (manager) changes we’ve had so far probably shows in our results a little bit. In my case, we had Nuno last year and then when Postecoglou came in, I had just come back from injury.

“I think the most notable change between the managers was the way each of them proposed to play, which was different from Nuno to Postecoglou and now Dyche.

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

Dominguez assessed the upcoming second half of the season and said he felt Forest should address the dual focus of European and domestic issues.

“There are still games left in Europe, so we’re on track,” he says. “The goal now is definitely not to go to the play-offs, but to qualify directly. We have to prepare mentally for that.

“I think we have to continue to improve in the remaining period so that we can fight for trophies in Europe.

“In the Premier League, it’s important to win one game at a time. We had an important win against West Ham the other day. But we have to take it one game at a time. If we lose three games, the other team may have already caught up. So we have to work towards that and try to finish as high as possible.”

Dominguez has returned to Forest’s starting XI over the past few months, despite the aforementioned knee injury that ruined his start to the campaign, playing further forward and scoring in last week’s important win against the Hammers, ‘Long’, forming a quality midfield trio with young England pair Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliott Anderson.

Anderson had a miraculous year for club and country last season, playing every Premier League game as Forest qualified for the Europa League, winning the 2025 European Under-21 Championship with England and then becoming a regular in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.

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

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

“He’s a great player technically and physically, so I think that gives him an edge.

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

Nicolas Dominguez celebrates with Elliott Anderson after scoring against Forest at West Ham last week

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International soccer also remains a focus for Dominguez.

Domestically, the 27-year-old hopes to “keep spending as much time as possible playing in European competitions and competing in big competitions”, but before that the carrot of the World Cup summer looms.

“Of course, the goal in soccer is to have a chance to go to the World Cup,” he says.

“But we know that it is very difficult to get into the Argentina national team. Today they are the best in the world and they have proven it for many years, so we know that it is difficult, they have great players.

“It’s a personal goal, but I think in order to get there I first have to do good things at the club and be in good shape on the pitch.”

This summer’s World Cup could become Lionel Messi’s football anthem.

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

When asked about Messi’s retirement, Dominguez said: “I don’t know the truth.”

“Ohara que no (I really hope it doesn’t happen), because I think not only Argentines but the whole world loves Messi and especially Argentines love to see him on the pitch for everything he has given us.

“We know that he went through many years with a lot of pressure from the Argentine people, but he never showed it and was always there to put on the shirt.

Lionel Messi (centre), midfielders Rodrigo de Paul (left) and Nicolas Dominguez (right) training in Argentina before the 2022 meeting with the Peruvian national team.

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“I think he showed that he loved Argentina, and I think that’s why he’s where he is today, winning many titles, including two Copa Americas and a World Cup.”

Then Arsenal’s short-term clash begins on Saturday, when Forest face the team who are at the top of the league with a six-point lead.

In Dominguez’s view, the Gunners have been runners-up for three seasons, but are they finally ready to win the title?

“I think the team is still the same. I feel like most of their players have played on every team I’ve played against,” he says.

“For me, they were one of the toughest teams.

“Maybe they are getting closer to the title because they have built up a good lead, even though the Premier League is a very difficult league and the other games are also tough. They look much more solid than in previous years.

“I think the teams we play are the same as last year, if not better.”

This is an important game for both teams and their contrasting league goals, and Dominguez will likely play a key role in determining the outcome.