Nottingham Forest under Ange Postecoglou will be a completely different prospect from under Nuno Espírito Santo, which may have one star worried.
Postecoglou’s remit at Forest is to win trophies after replacing Nuno Espírito Santo on Tuesday, with his success across the world something that has clearly appealed to Evangelos Marinakis.
The reaction to the appointment has been mixed, though, with Forest fans unsure on Postecoglou while pundits have expressed more hope about how he’ll fare at the City Ground.
Clearly, though, the tactical differences between Postecoglou and Espírito Santo couldn’t be more pronounced, leading to potential concerns about whether one of the Reds’ star players can actually adapt to the more expansive style.
Nikola Milenkovic during Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest
Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images
Nikola Milenkovic could struggle under Ange Postecoglou
Throughout his career, Postecoglou has prided himself on an attacking, high-tempo brand of football that often worked against him while at Tottenham.
He’s not the type to change his principles, though, which may be a concern for the Forest defence in particular when reflecting on the high-line he typically deploys.
According to Opta Analyst based on information from last season: “The average position at which Tottenham’s defensive line caught opponents offside was more than 10 metres higher up the pitch than Forest’s.
𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 🤝
On initial viewing, this might look like a confusing appointment to follow on from Nuno Espírito Santo.
But Postecoglou showed in Tottenham's run to Europa League glory that he 𝒄𝒂𝒏 adapt. pic.twitter.com/bthhfaPTjT
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) September 9, 2025
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“Forest, often camped in their own half, caught fewer opposition attackers offside (36) than any other team in the Premier League.”
This tells us that the Reds’ defence will be playing significantly higher up the pitch than they did under Nuno, meaning that their athleticism will be put to the test in ways it simply hasn’t been before.
Murillo is more likely to be able to adapt well to this new system than Nikola Milenkovic, whose speed stats don’t hint at someone who will be comfortable running back towards his goal.
Nikola Milenkovic’s speed stats are worrying
With Nuno’s system leaving Murillo and Milenkovic to defend what’s in front of them rather than leaving space in behind, the pair’s pace has rarely been a concern.
According to stats from UEFA from the Nations League, Milenkovic’s top speed with Serbia is 29.5 km/h, which is comparable to some of the slowest players in the Premier League.
Player Top speed (km/h)
Bernardo Silva 29.4
Craig Dawson 29.6
Mikel Merino 29.8
Casemiro 30.2
Tomas Soucek 30.2
The Premier League released data about the slowest players in the division last season, and based on his Serbia speed, Milenkovic would sit just ahead of Bernardo Silva among the slowest players.
With this in mind, then, Postecoglou may have to think twice before leaving Milenkovic in positions to be exposed for his lack of pace.