Ange Postecoglou will lead Nottingham Forest for the first time this weekend against Arsenal, and Steve Sidwell believes one squad member could cause the Gunners problems.
Postecoglou was named the new Nottingham Forest manager earlier this week, after Nuno Espirito Santo’s surprise departure due to off-the-field issues between him and the ownership.
The former Tottenham Hotspur boss hasn’t been out of work for long after parting ways with Spurs at the end of last season, and he’ll now look to get his first win away at the Emirates Stadium.
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Nottingham Forest have won one, drawn one, and lost one in their opening three Premier League fixtures, giving Postecoglou a comfortable start to work with.
Steve Sidwell backs Nottingham Forest to be ‘tricky’ for Arsenal
Postecoglou will face a tricky test in his first game in charge of Nottingham Forest, with a trip away against Arsenal, who are pushing to win the Premier League this season.
Sidwell assessed Nottingham Forest’s odds of picking up three points on That Peter Crouch podcast, highlighting Chris Wood’s impressive start to the season as a reason Arsenal should be concerned.
Wood has scored two goals in his opening three Premier League matches, continuing his impressive 2024-25 campaign, during which he netted 20 times in the English top flight.
“Forest are always a tricky team. [Chris] Wood’s obviously flying, isn’t he? I think this has the potential to be a banana skin for Arsenal.
“I just think with Forest, there’s huge hype now on Arsenal, they’ve got to be going for the league, they’ve come second in the past three seasons, they’ve got to go for the league now.
“I think they’ve got a great shot. They need to win games like this to be winning the league.
“But Forest sometimes throw a little firework in there every now and again. I’ve got a feeling this could be the one.”
Despite Sidwell’s belief that Nottingham Forest can cause the Gunners problems, he ultimately predicted Arsenal to edge the game with a 1-0 win, which would get them back on track after losing against Liverpool.
Ange Postecoglou will bring an attacking style of play to Nottingham Forest
Whether Postecoglou gains three points this weekend will remain to be seen, but fans expect an attacking brand of football.
That is the style Postecoglou is widely known for, but it ultimately cost him his job at Tottenham, which struggled defensively in the Premier League.
However, Postecoglou has been backed to adapt after seeing the benefits of changing his style during last season’s Europa League final, where he guided Spurs to silverware.
Postecoglou won’t tweak things too much though, as TBR Football revealed that Evangelos Marinakis wants an attacking approach at Nottingham Forest, which is one of the main reasons he was brought into the club.