Nottingham Forest star Gustavo Scarpa has been explaining what makes him nervous before games at the City Ground. The Brazilian has been at the club since January when he signed from Palmeiras.
The player who checked in on a free transfer is a likeable character among the fan base already. Earlier this week, he sat down with On and Off the Pitch to discuss his time at the club so far.
Scarpa has found football hard to come by since he checked in at the club. Perhaps that was to be expected though as he settles into the Premier League at the age of 29.
When he has played, the man who has been capped by Brazil has looked useful. The challenge for him is to impress when he does get opportunities and he certainly looks willing to work hard.
Steve Cooper has played Scarpa nine times since he arrived at the club. He’s still waiting for his goal contribution but that should come in good time.
Scarpa has been impressed with the atmosphere in England. He’s also claimed that before home games he finds himself getting really nervous due to the sheer volume of fans.
He told On and Off the Pitch: “I think the atmosphere, it’s different. In Brazil they have instruments but here it’s different. I get nervous every time before the game.
“It’s great to see the stadium full and they sing for 90 minutes. Everyone said to me, ‘hey, wait until your first game at the City Ground’, and it’s amazing. Nothing compares to playing here.
“My first game was so loud. The songs and you could see everyone; the old guys, the little kids, everyone is screaming.”
Scarpa explains what makes him nervous
Nerves aren’t really a bad thing in sport. They can often focus the mind and it does show that you care about doing particularly well at something.
For Scarpa, he will be desperate to impress pretty quickly. At 29, he knows he’s in his prime and he will want to put on a show for the Forest fans.
The Reds are yet to see the best of the Brazilian. With Forest in dire form, Cooper might be wise to hand the forward a run of games after the international break.
Scarpa fits the profile of a fan favourite. He appears to be determined to give his all and that won’t be going unnoticed in the eyes of his manager.