The feel around Nottingham Forest is very different heading into this international break compared to last.

The Reds went into the previous international break on the back of salvaging a late point at Derby County - their first point of the campaign.

Two games later, after home defeats to Cardiff City and Middlesbrough, Chris Hughton was relieved of his duties, with Steve Cooper coming in.

After Steven Reid led Forest to their first win of the season at Huddersfield whilst in interim charge, Cooper has hit the ground running since taking over as head coach.

The Welshman has yielded seven points from his first three games at the helm, including back-to-back away wins over Barnsley and Birmingham City.

The international break may have even come at a bad time for Forest, who are starting to build momentum nicely, but it gives us chance to reflect on a contrasting start to the campaign.

What is the best Forest starting line-up based on what we have seen so far this season? Here, we take a look at what we think...

Samba came in for criticism earlier this season and was even dropped for Ethan Horvath after a few sloppy performances in goal.

But the Congolese shot-stopper has been back to his best of late, and produced an excellent save to keep Birmingham at bay on Saturday.

The change to a 3-4-3 formation, meanwhile, has paid dividends. Joe Worrall and Scott McKenna have looked really impressive stepping in and pushing forward, whilst Tobias Figueiredo has been the glue in the middle.

As for the wing-backs, Djed Spence and Max Lowe, the pair continue to get better every game, and will be regulars for the remainder of the season if they stay fit.

In midfield, James Garner has struggled for form since he returned to the City Ground for a second loan spell from Manchester United.

In truth, the midfielder hasn't produced the level of performances he produced last season, and Jack Colback has been more effective in the last couple of games.

Ryan Yates has been a mainstay in the team and scored his first goal of the season at the weekend, but as Braian Ojeda builds his fitness up, it will be interesting to see what happens.

In the final third, Brennan Johnson has been a standout performer, as has Philip Zinckernagel, who has scored two goals and registered six assists in 11 games since arriving on loan from Watford.

Up top, Lewis Grabban is starting to find form with four goals in his last six games, and has given fans a timely reminder of what he can produce when at his best.