Although Ange Postecoglou did not implement his full philosophy against Arsenal, he has been told that two players could be a worry going forward.
Much of Nottingham Forest’s success last season came down to Chris Wood being prolific in front of goal, but the defensive partnership of Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo also played a massive role.
The duo were some of the Premier League’s best defenders last season as Forest topped the charts for clean sheets.
However, with Ange Postecoglou now at the helm, the Australian has been told that last season’s centre-back pairing could be an issue this campaign.
Ange Postecoglou takes charge of Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal.
Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images
Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo could be a worry for Ange Postecoglou’s system
Ange Postecoglou’s and Nuno Espirito Santo’s styles of play are like comparing night and day. Both require entirely different sets of profiles across the squad.
One of the biggest differences is in how deep the backline will be, and that could be an issue for two Forest players.
On the Beyond The Back Four podcast, journalist Graeme Bailey gave his thoughts on Ange’s opening game, and expressed his concern for Milenkovic and Murillo in having to constantly cover large spaces.
Bailey said, “I do worry about Milenkovic and Murillo at centre-back, they are going to have an awful lot of defending to do and an awful lot of running backwards.”
Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo applauding Forest fans
Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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For Murillo, Ange already has the Brazilian doing drills to adapt to his style, and with the 23-year-old being quicker than Milenkovic, we’ll just have to wait to see how he works in these tactics.
When it comes to Milenkovic, Graeme Bailey’s concern is backed up by data.
Stats show the Serbian could struggle under Ange, and that will be something the Australian may have to address down the line, but his options to replace him are not great.
Ange Postecoglou’s Nikola Milenkovic alternatives are not great
If Nikola Milenkovic is unable to adapt to his new head coach’s tactics, the alternatives for the Serbian are not great either.
Jair Cunha does possess some pace about him, but the 20-year-old is already set to miss a month of football for Forest, which is not ideal for the Australian.
Morato was poor at left-back vs Arsenal, and when deployed in his natural position, the Brazilian is erratic at centre-back as well.
Willy Boly is 34 years old and would likely struggle in a high line more than Milenkovic.
Zach Abbott is another option, but the 19-year-old is still quite inexperienced, and perhaps needs some more minutes before becoming a real option for a consistent starting role.