Nottingham Forest dealt huge injury blow as Ange Postecoglou endures nightmare start
Nottingham Forest have lost an integral first-team player as Ange Postecoglou suffers his first injury just 37 minutes into his tenure, losing 3-0 on a miserable afternoon against Arsenal.
The international break brought about the end of Nuno Espirito Santo’s managerial reign at Nottingham Forest despite leading the club to Europa League football last season.
Football Insider revealed on 8 September that owner Evangelos Marinakis and Espirito Santo were holding “crisis talks”, culminating in the sacking of the Portuguese not long after.
Football Insider also revealed on 31 August that now Nottingham Forest manager Postecoglou was one of the names on the list to become the new Garibaldi boss.
However, just 37 minutes into his new job, the Australian has already lost a crucial player which could be the beginning of a tragic spell at the City Ground.
Murillo injury disastrous for Ange Postecoglou and Nottingham Forest
In the former Celtic manager’s first match in charge against Arsenal, his injury curse appears to have followed him from his stints with the Bhoys and Tottenham.
Brazilian defender Murillo went down and had to receive treatment before barely hobbling back on to the pitch in clear discomfort.
The 23-year-old was then hooked minutes later, lasting just 37 minutes as Postecoglou suffered his first match-induced injury since his appointment.
Murillo absence could be devastating for Ange Postecoglou
Football Insider verdict
Having featured in 36 of Forest’s 38 Premier League matches in the 2024-25 ground-breaking campaign, the South American’s potential spell on the sidelines is a hammer blow for the former Spurs head coach.
As seen with the Lilywhites, the Australian heavily depends on agile and quick central defenders to get out of tricky situations.
The Brazilian is precisely what Postecoglou needs but if he is out for an extended period of time, a defensive duo of Nikola Milenkovic and Morato does not fill me with confidence.
| Murillo 2024-25 Premier League | |
| Appearances | 36 |
| Minutes played | 3,521 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Clean sheets | 11 |
In this sense, the ex-Celtic manager may need to quickly pivot his high lines to play to the abilities of his slower centre-backs.
Whilst it looked like the attacking recruitments made by the Garibaldi would play nicely to the strengths of the Europa League winning manager, the defence still looks stuck in the counter-attacking defence first days of Espirito Santo.
Hopefully, Murillo returns soon, otherwise Postecoglou will have to quickly go back to the drawing board to alter his tactics.