Matz Sels strives for FA Cup glory with Forest after taking second chance

Matz Sels might have thought his FA Cup story had ended with a humiliating defeat at League One Oxford United, in what turned out to be his final game of a forgettable spell at Newcastle. The Belgian, 33, was bought to be the club’s No 1 in 2016 but managed only 14 appearances in a turbulent period at St James’ Park before departing for the serenity of Strasbourg two years later.

In five and a half seasons in France, Sels rebuilt his career. He won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2019 and was named Ligue 1’s best goalkeeper of the 2021-22 season. His consistency alerted teams to him but he was a long way down Nottingham Forest’s shortlist when they were looking for a goalkeeper in January 2024. The £5m punt they took on him has paid off spectacularly though and Sels has an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City to look forward to on Sunday. His saves in three shootouts have helped Forest to get there.

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Sels first moved to England aged 24, having impressed in his homeland with Lierse and Gent. Newcastle had just been relegated from the Premier League and were looking to build a squad capable of returning. “Great worker, great work ethic, fit,” were the first impressions of Newcastle’s then goalkeeper coach, Simon Smith. “He wasn’t so bothered about the technical side. He was more about wanting to work hard and do his fitness work and all that type of stuff.”

All the attributes were there for a top-class goalkeeper, the sort who makes saves others cannot. “It became quite evident quickly that from a games-playing point of view, he was quite inexperienced,” Smith says. “Age-wise, it was understandable. In everyday training, he was excellent, as good as what we had. I think that’s what probably frustrated him and frustrated myself. He was showing that he had the ability, but it was just in the games. I don’t want to slaughter him because he wasn’t that bad, he just didn’t quite get to the level that we needed at that time.”

Karl Darlow tended to play ahead of Sels, whose following season was spent on loan at Anderlecht. Sels admits the move to Newcastle came too soon but that left him with a desire to return to England. He has helped Forest mount a serious challenge for a Champions League spot and leads the Golden Glove chart with 13 clean sheets, one more than David Raya. Sels has made the third-highest number of saves (108) in the Premier League, sandwiched between two relegated goalkeepers, Aaron Ramsdale and Mads Hermansen, and has the second-best save percentage. This is not a case of the defence doing all the hard work.

In many ways Sels, who has nine Belgium caps, is a throwback to an old-school goalkeeper. There is no ambition to pass it out from the back at Forest – having possession is almost frowned upon – and Sels has, by a distance, the worst passing accuracy of any goalkeeper in the Premier League. Nuno Espírito Santo, being a former goalkeeper, knows what he wants in goal and was insistent when he arrived that he needed a new keeper. The head coach, however, relies upon his longstanding goalkeeper coach, Rui Barbosa, to impart the requisite knowledge into Sels.

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Smith said of working with Sels at Newcastle: “There’s a frustration there because you like to think you can help everybody and have a go with everybody and get them to a level. But sometimes, I’m not going to say he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s not fair … We just probably bought him too soon.”

Sels absorbed everything he learned in Newcastle and then France, for good and bad, to reach the peak he has found today. Forest have required shootout victories in the past three Cup rounds to get to Wembley, Sels saving once against Exeter and Ipswich then twice against Brighton. These victories sum up the progress of Sels, who has used all his experience to put pressure on opponents. “You try to do everything you can to make them uncomfortable,” he said after the quarter-final defeat of Brighton. His teammates are more relaxed when it comes to shootouts because they back their goalkeeper to save a couple. If the match goes the distance at Wembley, no one in red will be overly worried.

Experience has helped Sels to understand how to narrow the angle when an opponent is through on goal. He is quick off his line and spreads himself to make a striker’s choice more difficult when trying to finish. There is work to be done on crosses because he could be more commanding when coming to collect the ball.

Forest have won 11 matches by a single goal and drawn six in the league. They are dealing with fine margins in a season where they are looking to win the FA Cup and qualify for the Champions League via their best Premier League finish. Being able to rely on a goalkeeper who can make spectacular saves is a key part of that. The stability of the back four has helped settle Sels, providing the confidence goalkeepers need to succeed. When in good form, it is easier to play on instinct and not overthink positioning and decision-making.

Strasbourg can take plenty of credit for giving Sels the education that is allowing him to thrive in the Premier League but Forest may want to thank Newcastle for firing his desire to succeed second time around in England.