Home
Ange Postecoglou’s tenure as Nottingham Forest manager began under difficult circumstances, as his side suffered a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Yet, despite the heavy scoreline, the Australian tactician leapt to the defense of his new squad, citing a turbulent week as the key reason behind their subdued performance.
A disruptive start to life at Forest
The 60-year-old manager had only been in the job for a matter of days after Forest parted company with Nuno Espirito Santo earlier in the week. Taking over on Tuesday, Postecoglou walked straight into a club in flux following an alleged schism between Santo and owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Acknowledging the impact of this sudden change, Ange Postecoglou stressed the challenges faced by his players. “It is no secret it has been a very disruptive week for the players. Seven days ago their world was totally different from what it is today and you've got to understand that, I certainly do,” he said after the match.
Effort praised despite defeat
While Arsenal dominated proceedings, Postecoglou refused to be overly critical of his players, instead highlighting their effort and resilience under the circumstances.
“I can't fault the players endeavour and effort. I thought we hung in there, we never really had control of the game at any point but we worked really hard in the first half and there were small seeds towards the end of the first half of us maybe being able to cause them some problems but the second goal straight after half-time killed the game,” he explained.
The former Tottenham Hotspur boss admitted that defeat is never acceptable but insisted that, given the week’s events, Forest’s application could not be questioned.
“You can't accept defeat and you've got to be disappointed by it but in the context of what the week has been like, I can't fault the players in terms of what they were trying to do.”
Quick turnaround promised
Despite the difficult start, Ange Postecoglou was clear about his determination to stamp his identity on the team without delay. With a packed schedule ahead — including fixtures in the EFL Cup, Premier League, and Europa League — he vowed to make swift changes.
When asked how long it would take to implement his philosophy, he was emphatic: “It won't be months, it won't be weeks, it'll be Wednesday. I can't afford to waste time. This is not a project. This football club had a strong season last year, needs to be stronger this year and my job is to get us where I want us as quickly as possible.”
He further underlined his commitment by saying: “So by Wednesday night we will start seeing some real principles being embedded. It won't take long and I am not going to let it take long. I'll make sure we turn it around because we have got an unbelievable opportunity this year to make an impact and I'm not going to let that slip.”
Forest’s immediate challenge will be to regroup quickly as they prepare for their upcoming clash against Swansea. With Ange Postecoglou promising rapid transformation, fans will be eager to see whether his bold claims translate into results on the pitch.
ADVERTISEMENT
