Ange Postecoglou’s first match as Nottingham Forest head coach comes against Arsenal, with Mikel Arteta discussing the Australian in his pre-match press conference.
Postecoglou paid tribute to Nuno Espírito Santo in his first press conference at the City Ground, but the expectation remains that Forest will look like a different team when they face Arsenal on Saturday.
Naturally, the fact that Postecoglou used to be Tottenham boss adds an extra element to the trip to North London, with the new Reds head coach enduring a number of difficult defeats against the Gunners before arriving at Forest.
Despite his unfavourable record against Arteta, the Spanish head coach clearly has respect for Postecoglou, giving his thoughts to the press ahead of Saturday’s clash.
Ange Postecoglou Unveiled As New Nottingham Forest Head Coach
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Mikel Arteta has ‘learnt a lot’ from Ange Postecoglou
In his first training session with his new players, Postecoglou had Murillo working on his speed and agility, a clear indication that he will want his defence to be ready to make recovery runs due to playing a higher line.
This new style is evidently concerning some Forest fans, but according to Arteta, Postecoglou’s tactical set-up is to be admired.
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Arteta said: “His biggest strength is the way he has been. He’s put his fingerprints in that team, he has a clear way of playing, extremely good to watch, I’ve learnt a lot from him. It will be a difficult game.”
Clearly, Arteta has been able to best Postecoglou’s style on multiple occasions, so he may not be truly concerned about what Forest could present on Saturday.
However, beyond the Australian, Forest’s issues against Arsenal are not bound to just one manager or group of players.
Nottingham Forest have a terrible record away against Arsenal
Paul Merson predicted a 2-0 win for Arsenal on Saturday and, given their title ambitions, it’s expected that the Gunners will be the favourites, regardless of the added Postecoglou factor.
In fact, when looking at Forest’s previous away record against Arsenal, the fact that it’s Postecoglou’s first game in charge is almost irrelevant given how much the Reds have struggled in London over the years.
According to the BBC: “In all competitions, Arsenal have won their last six home games against Nottingham Forest by an aggregate score of 19-2. The Gunners are unbeaten in 14 games on home soil against Forest (W10 D4) since a 3-1 defeat back in March 1989.”
A positive result for Postecoglou would be remarkable, then, with all the data pointing to a difficult first assignment as Forest head coach.