With Ange Postecoglou the favourite to take over at Nottingham Forest, we are taking a look at how the Tricky Trees could line up under the Australian.
Evangelos Marinakis is reportedly a big fan of the former Celtic boss, who has been out of work since losing the Spurs job in the summer. He has reportedly turned down the chance to move to Genclerbirligi, hinting that he believes a quick return to the Premier League is on the cards.
The Australian is the early frontrunner for the job, but how would Ange’s dream XI at the City Ground look? This is our verdict.
GK: Matz Sels
If there is one theme throughout Postecoglou’s career when it comes to goalkeepers, it is that he tends to stick with one rather than going for a City-esque rotation.
Joe Hart is the player Postecoglou has used the second most times in his career, with Spurs shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario also high up the list.
And in Sels, Forest already have one of the best keepers in the league, even if his age of 33 may be a concern.
For now though, we reckon Ange will want to focus elsewhere.
RB: Ola Aina
Aina enjoyed the best season of his career last year and he may well be one of the most crucial parts of Ange’s new-look team.
The Australian will want the right-back to get forward as he did last year, but he must be wary that the way Ange wants to play means there will be space behind him.
CB: Murillo
Forest had one of the best defensive records in the league last season, which means it will be fascinating to see how that immovable object meets the unstoppable force of Postecoglou’s system.
Murillo will be key to that, but it will take some adjustment.
CB: Nikola Milenkovic
Milenkovic was named Player of the Season for Forest last campaign, and if he picks up the award again this year under Ange, it will be a testament to his ability.
The defence was Spurs’ weakest area last year and Milenkovic is not the quickest centre-back in the league, meaning he could be susceptible to the counter-attack.
LB: Neco Williams
Nuno managed to get the best out of Williams, so it remains to be seen if Postecoglou can continue that trend.
On the face of it, he fits the bill, but playing in the ultra-attacking defensive line of Ange will be a challenge for every player to adapt to.
CDM: Douglas Luiz
Nuno’s preferred choice was a two-man holding midfield, but Postecoglou’s preference has always been for a 4-3-3, so we could see a change if the Australian takes over.
While that will have further implications up the field, it could play into the hands of summer signing Luiz, who returned to the Premier League.
The Brazilian was one of the best defensive midfielders at Villa and if he can play like that rather than the version we saw at Juventus, then he could become a mainstay in Postecoglou’s team.
CM: Elliot Anderson
One of the undroppable Forest players is Anderson, who has become one of the best midfielders in the league after leaving Newcastle for PSR reasons.
He has started this season particularly strongly, making his England debut in the win over Andorra, and will be the first name on the team sheet.
CM: Morgan Gibbs-White
Ange’s preferred formation is a 4-3-3, but he showed at Spurs he was willing to adapt if the quality of a player demanded it.
In Gibbs-White, there clearly is a player talented enough to demand his own position, and so we could see Postecoglou deploying the 4-2-3-1 to get the best out of the midfielder. If not, he may drop deeper to form a central midfield two alongside Anderson.
When fully fit, much of Spurs’ attacking threat came through their No.10 James Maddison, so Gibbs-White can be confident his potential new boss knows how to get the best out of him.
RW: Omari Hutchinson
As with any managerial job, your first task is to impress your boss, and one of the reported contributing factors to the Forest implosion was the signing of Hutchinson.
The Midlands club forked out £37.5million to sign the Ipswich youngster, but Nuno’s decision to leave him out of their Europa League squad has been seen as the last act of a departing man.
Postecoglou may then be tasked with incorporating Marinakis’ new signing into the team.
For Hutchinson, his time in Suffolk was spent switching between a central or wide spot, but it was the freedom of the latter that seemed to produce his best.
Evangelos Marinakis Nottingham Forest Jose Mourinho next manager
READ: Ranking the five most box office appointments to work under Marinakis at Nottingham Forest
LW: Dan Ndoye
Quick wingers tend to flourish in the high-energy Postecoglou teams, which is good news for summer signing Ndoye.
Upon signing him, the club said he has creativity, a direct playing style, versatility and speed — all key elements to a Postecoglou attacker.
Ndoye will be looking at how Postecoglou used Brennan Johnson as an example of what to expect from his potential new boss.
ST: Igor Jesus
Postecoglou’s biggest headache may well come up front, with Forest’s top goalscorer not a natural fit in the Australian’s system.
Chris Wood had a remarkable 2024-25 campaign and has begun the new season in a similar vein, but looking at Postecoglou’s former teams, he has tended to prefer a more agile No.9 like Richarlison.
Postecoglou likes a pressing forward, and there is the question of whether the 33-year-old Wood has that in him. But it is also a big call to drop the in-form goalscorer.
This could then be a case of gradually phasing him out, but who do they replace him with? The answer to that may well already be in the Forest ranks.
The club signed Igor Jesus in the summer from Botafogo, who impressed in Brazil last season. Pacey and with an eye for goal, he is also the kind of striker Postecoglou has tended to go with when given the choice.
READ NEXT: The incredible Premier League table since Nuno Espirito Santo joined Nottingham Forest
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the first manager to be sacked in every Premier League season?