Nottingham Forest face one key worry after confirming Ange Postecoglou appointment
Nottingham Forest shocked the footballing world when they dismissed Nuno Espirito Santo and hired Ange Postecoglou.
Postecoglou was the subject of interest from Bayer Leverkusen and Fenerbahce before signing with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
Postecoglou was a controversial figure in North London, often getting criticised by pundits for his style while at Tottenham.
Despite an underwhelming 17th placed Premier League finish, Postecoglou did secure Tottenham’s first trophy in 17 years, winning the Europa League in May.
Nottingham Forest face Ange Postecoglou criticism
Postecoglou faces a difficult task, replacing Espirito Santo, who earned Nottingham Forest a place in major European competition next season.
Espirito Santo’s sides were hard to break down and many have questioned whether Postecoglou is the antithesis of that style.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Charlie Austin spoke on the appointment of Postecoglou, saying: “Is he the right man for this squad? Because we’ve seen how stubborn he is and he’ll only like to play a certain way.
“Have Nottingham Forest got the players to fit the way he plays? And my biggest concern also is what we’ve seen from Ange is he doesn’t really like changing and he only plays a certain way.
“Whether that’s with a high line whether it’s his strikers moving out wide, but you can only play that way if you’ve got the players in there and for me the standout one in there [who might not fit] is Chris Wood.
“He also likes to change the midfield, but Elliot Anderson is a stand out player for them in that position so he’s ultimately got to play also.
“He might got three or four games and not make any changes and we look back and think maybe he’s changed and reflected over his time at Tottenham, but looking at how he played at Tottenham and Celtic, he’s going to make those changes.”
Ange Postecoglou signals change of impetus at Nottingham Forest
Espirito Santo took over at Forest with the club in a relegation battle, and within two seasons had the City Ground preparing for European football once again.
That will be the expectation that Postecoglou will be judged upon as he now leads the East Midlands club on from Espirito Santo.
As the club swap Espirito Santo’s pragmatism for Postecoglou’s all-out attacking style, concerns of how the squad will cope are justifiable.
| Ange Postecoglou | 2023-25 | Nuno Espirito Santo |
| 138 | Goals for | 93 |
| 126 | Goals against | 88 |
| 1.8 | GF per 90 | 1.5 |
| 1.6 | GA per 90 | 1.4 |
Forest’s qualities come from their robust defensive style and their pace out wide to break teams open on the counter-attack; values that don’t align at all with Postecoglou.
Postecoglou likes expansive teams who attack in numbers and defenders who can cover wide spaces, defending often in one-on-one situations.
As the appointment of Postecoglou signals change, there will be more apprehension than there will be optimism, as the Australian leads Forest out of the international break.