The Ange Postecoglou era is now up and running as the new Nottingham Forest head coach kicked off his tenure against Arsenal on Saturday.
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Postecoglou was appointed on Tuesday and then thrown in straight in at the deep end with a return to the capital. The clash at the Emirates Stadium marked the start of a hectic period for the Reds as they have another four games to play before the end of the month
Three of those matches are on the road, with a trip to take on Swansea City in the Carabao Cup next up on Wednesday night. Postecoglou has to wait until September 27 and a meeting with Sunderland to make his City Ground bow.
The new man has some great foundations to build upon and a very good squad in place. For owner Evangelos Marinakis, the target is trophies.
Postecoglou has achieved plenty of success during his career so far. So what needs to happen for that to be the case on the banks of the Trent? Below, NottinghamshireLive takes a look.
United front
Behind the scenes friction was central to Nuno Espirito Santo’s downfall. A fallout with global head of football Edu proved to be an irreparable fracture.
Nuno insisted he was able to shield the players from any off-field noise and speculation, but it cannot have been easy for the squad. Prior to that, Forest had benefited from a strong sense of unity under the Portuguese - indeed, it was at the heart of a brilliant season last time around.
Postecogolou needs to quickly forge a good working relationship with Reds staff, including Edu. He needs to restore a sense of harmony at the club.
In his first press conference, the new Forest head coach acknowledged he would need to get players and fans onside. That can take time, but establishing a strong team spirit will be key to the club progressing this term.
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Different style
Much has already been made of the chalk-and-cheese comparison between Postecoglou and Nuno when it comes to their approach to the game. The former likes his teams to attack whereas his predecessor was much more cautious.
Nevertheless, Nuno had overseen some development of the Reds’ style in their first three games of the campaign. Forest had enjoyed more of the ball and had tried to move away from being purely a counterattacking outfit.
Postecoglou will want to oversee further progress on that front. It was never going to happen overnight, but he has been clear he wants Forest to be exciting to watch.
Whether that will result in success, of course, is up for debate. But for the club to keep moving forward, developing the style of play is all part of the process.
Find ways to win
Last season, the Reds knew how to win games. Or at least they knew how to win games if they scored first; if they went behind, they found it more of a challenge to claim victory.
As the campaign progressed, opposition sides figured that out. Nuno didn’t quite manage to find a way to handle that.
If Forest are going to secure silverware - as Marinakis wants - they need to find different ways to beat opponents. Postecoglou has devised masterplans on how to win trophies before.
Although he favours an attacking style, he is not afraid to be pragmatic in order for his team to get over the line. He did just that as Spurs triumphed in the Europa League last term. Can lightning strike twice for him in that particular competition as the Reds prepare to return to the European stage?
How will Forest fare under Ange Postecoglou? Click HERE to have your say