Saturday represented the start of a new Nottingham Forest era but it was also a full stop.
Ange Postecoglou is a man in a hurry, and he was unequivocal about the need to draw a line under what he described as a ‘disruptive week’ and a ‘disappointing’ result after a 3-0 loss to Arsenal. In other words, the real work begins now.
If not quite a free pass, the game against the Gunners did come with context. A difficult test at the best of times, throw in limited preparation time and a couple of injuries and the mountain Forest were staring up at suddenly grew a few feet.
Postecoglou understood and accepted all of that, but the message in the aftermath was clear: Wednesday night (away to Swansea City) and beyond will be different. That is when we will see the Reds in the new head coach’s own image - at least according to the man himself.
“No mate, it won’t be months and it won’t be weeks. It will be Wednesday,” Postecoglou said when quizzed on how long it might take to implement his ideas. “I can’t afford to waste time. This is not a project.”
So what did we learn about the new man and how Forest might fare under him? Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at the big talking points from the Emirates Stadium.
Style switch
Having had only one training session as a full group before heading south, Postecoglou felt it best not to change too much. The only alteration he made to the starting XI from what proved to be Nuno Espirito Santo’s final game in charge, the 3-0 loss to West Ham United before the international break, was an enforced one.
Ola Aina being ruled out for three months with a hamstring issue meant a defensive reshuffle. When Murillo then hobbled off before the break with a knock, Forest had to rejig their back line again.
In terms of style, it is difficult to find two more contrasting managers than Nuno and Postecoglou. But this wasn’t a case of going all-in from day one for the former Tottenham Hotspur chief; he made only minor tweaks.
The Reds did try a higher press but mostly found themselves pegged back for long spells. Even if he had wanted to, there was little chance of Postecoglou’s trademark high line getting an airing. Perhaps he will save that for Swansea in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Who impressed?
Postecoglou spoke of ‘small seeds’ being sown towards the end of the first half, when the scoreline was still only 1-0. He also reflected on a few positives over the course of the 90 minutes as a whole - or at least glimpses of potential for him to work with.
The standout performer throughout was Elliot Anderson. Brimming with confidence from his man of the match displays with England, the midfielder was as much of a shining light for Forest as he had been for his country.
“He’s brilliant. Outstanding,” Postecoglou enthused. “I’m really excited to work with him. He is still a young man. I’ve only had 48 hours with him but already I can see he’s very ambitious, wants to win and wants to be the best.”
Deadline day arrival Dilane Bakwa also caught the eye when he came off the bench. He was lively and threw himself straight into trying to make things happen. Arnaud Kalimuendo, too, looked bright as a substitute.
Postecoglou is still getting to know his squad and still running the rule over individuals. He talked about how a hectic fixture list could prove beneficial in that sense. As he tries to figure out his strongest XI, some players might have thrust themselves into contention.
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Who struggled?
This corner of the capital has not been a happy hunting ground for the Reds for some time. Given everything surrounding the game, it was perhaps not too much of a surprise they barely managed to land a glove on Arsenal.
Forest registered just one shot on target at the Emirates. Chris Wood couldn’t quite make the ball stick, although had barely any service. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White both found it tough to influence proceedings while Ibrahim Sangare was guilty of giving the ball away too often.
At the back, the visitors looked nervy early on - not helped by Morato being drafted in to play out of position as a left-back. When the Brazilian moved to the centre, following Murillo’s substitution, he looked much more comfortable.
Murillo’s replacement, Nicolo Savona, had a tough introduction when he was caught out in the build-up to Arsenal’s second. Only 22 and new to English football, it cannot have been easy for the Italian to come on in such circumstances. He did recover well from that moment, though.
There is absolutely no doubt Postecoglou has quality and options in his squad, despite off days for some at the Emirates. Now it is about how he gets the best out of the group.
What of the future?
It is very early days in Postecoglou’s tenure, of course, and it would be unwise to rush to judgement. Saturday was not who he wants Forest to be.
The home crowd took great delight in piling on the misery by giving a few brutal chants an airing. “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” they bellowed in the former Spurs boss’ direction.
But Postecoglou will have shrugged all of those barbs off. He is all business.
“Now we understand that’s the first week and the first phase we can put to bed, and we can start looking ahead,” he said. “We’ve got a game Wednesday. We’ve got two sessions before that - that’s gold for us.
“And then we have got another couple of sessions before the next Premier League game. An opportunity to play some players. Whatever has happened this week, and how disruptive it’s been, we can put a line through it and start looking ahead.”
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