Nottingham Forest head into the international breaks with a play off spot to their name.

Aitor Karanka’s men had a slow start to the season, but after a big summer of investing, it felt like it was a matter of time before they got going in the Championship.

After a spectacular win over Middlesbrough last Saturday, Forest are full of confidence and really fancy themselves to go up this season after over a decade in exile.

What is pleasing so far is that Forest are not losing many matches. If they can take the step up and turn the draws into wins, they could be serious promotion candidates.

It is still relatively early days, but Karanka will have learnt many lessons about his side.

Here at FLW, we look at THREE lessons Karanka will have learnt about his Forest side thus far…

Nottingham Forest really have made the City Ground a fortress so far this season, with results starting to show for it.

The club reduced the prices of season tickets to an admirably low level and fans are starting to flood through the gates to support their team.

Whether the home form is linked to this directly, is unknown, but it certainly has had an impact.

Joe Lolley has been one of the brightest stars in the Championship so far this season, consistently showing his skills at the City Ground.

He was a Premier League outcast this time last year, but making the move down a division has really worked.

He dazzles round defenders at ease and is chipping in with regular goals, often spectacular strikes from distance.

The home form of Forest has been mentioned earlier, but the away form needs to improve.

Winning at Middlesbrough was certainly the place to start. Prior to that, Forest had failed to win on the road.

If Karanka can turn this around and Forest start turning draws into wins on the road more regularly, the Reds will be up there at the end of the season.

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