Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been told what to expect from Ange Postecoglou's Nottingham Forest in Saturday's Premier League clash, where the visiting boss may be at risk of "scrambling" his players' brains.
The script may have already been written for the Premier League's lunchtime kickoff, where ex-Tottenham Hotspur head coach Postecoglou takes charge of his first Forest match since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo, who wasfired late on Monday night.
Postecoglou is back in management soon after his own enforced departure from Tottenham Hotspur, where the Australian became renowned for an all-out attacking philosophy, although Santo's Forest were famed for defensive resilience and counter-attacking excellence.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Arsenal expert Charles Watts expressed his view that Postecoglou could utterly confuse his Forest squad if he tries to instil his style of play straight away, but no matter what approach the visiting boss goes for, Arsenal should have no problems claiming maximum points.
“You never want to be the first game for a new manager, the whole new manager bounce syndrome," Watts said."It feels like it happens to Arsenal more than a lot of clubs. Nuno is really popular with the Forest players, so I don't think it's the worst time; they are chalk and cheese, Nuno and Ange.
“You couldn't have a more varying range of style and philosophy than those two. If Ange starts trying to instil that philosophy, it might absolutely scramble their brains, because you're going from this really defensive, counter-attacking manager to someone completely different.
Postecoglou vs. Arteta adds a "little spice" to Arsenal vs. Forest
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pictured on August 17, 2025
“The thought of Murillo and [Nikola] Milenkovic playing a real high line on the halfway line, I just think that’s clearly not going to work. That's not playing to their strengths. That'll be interesting to watch. But this is Arsenal at the Emirates. They shouldn't be worrying about who's in charge of Nottingham Forest.
“They've got to bounce back from that defeat against Liverpool, focus on themselves, not on who's in the Forest dugout. And I'm sure if Arsenal play well, it doesn't matter who Forest have got. Arsenal should be getting the points.”
Asked if he expects Arsenal to face a forward-thinking Forest side or a visiting team operating in a low block, Watts added: “I think we'll see them go for it; with the counter-attacking players they've got, that's their best chance of scoring goals. To be fair to Ange, the last time we saw him in the dugout, it was a very defensive performance that he put together to win the Europa League.
“They did sit very, very deep, held on, got the clean sheet and ended up winning the trophy. So he can go against his own footballing philosophy. He'd be mad in his first game with a new team to go gung-ho at the Emirates. I'm sure he will try and keep it tight. Whether they can do that is another thing. Their clean sheets have dried up.
“It’s going to add a little bit of spice, Postecoglou at Arsenal, it couldn't have been written any better. Arsenal fans will be getting on his back, it will just add another layer of narrative to what's already a really, really big thing for Arsenal.”
Postecoglou's opposite number Mikel Arteta recentlydelivered a quadruple injury updateahead of Saturday's early kickoff, confirming to the press that William Saliba may recover from his ankle injury in time to be involved.
Arteta sent Eberechi Eze demand for Forest showdown
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze pictured on August 23, 2025
Cristhian Mosquera or Ben White may still step in for the Frenchman, though, while the rest of Arsenal's players who represented their countries during the international break came back unscathed.
That list includes Eberechi Eze, who made his Arsenal debut off the bench in their1-0 defeat to Liverpooltwo weekends ago, replacing the ineffective Gabriel Martinelli for the final 20 minutes.
Watts has now implored Arteta to make that change from the first whistle, adding: “I really hope so. I want to see him on the left side. He didn't play great in the game against Andorra, but it was just a horrible game all round from an England point of view.
“But he needs to be bedded into this team now. Martinelli still has plenty to offer this season, but he's been struggling.
“It just feels like they need to do something a little bit different over on that left-hand side. So I hope Eze plays. I think he's ready. He'll lift the crowd if they see him starting for the first time at the Emirates.”
Arsenal will temporarily rise to the top of the Premier League tablewith victory on Saturday, where Viktor Gyokeres could also join Sergio Aguero in an elite goalscoring club.
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