Nottingham Forest threw away a two-goal lead, as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup in a 3-2 defeat to Swansea City. George Edwards was at the match
© George Edwards
The manner in which Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest threw away victory against Swansea City draws parallels to the transition when Nuno joined the club, with positives to take despite the comical nature of the defeat.
Five games into his tenure as manager, Nuno Espírito Santo was given a stark welcome to life as the Nottingham Forest head coach, glumly looking on with his hood up, rain pouring, as his side struggled to get past League One Blackpool in the FA Cup.
The Reds got through that one, eventually, as they didn’t last night against Swansea, but the two games draw parallels that have to be noted.
How Forest’s trip to Swansea ended was no surprise. Once they conceded and then spurned two huge chances to extend their then lead, there was a sense of inevitability that the hosts would creep back into the game, as they did in dramatic fashion with two stoppage-time goals to seal a 3-2 victory.
Ange Postecoglou declared that last night would be the night that his football would be implemented, that the changes would be visible. At full time, he applauded the visiting support thankfully and thoroughly, pointing to himself implying that the result was on him.
That was the first real connection between Ange and his new supporters, and it felt rather strange. There was a helplessness to it, particularly when he was stood rather motionless on the sidelines, a vibe given off by Nuno back on that cold night away in Blackpool. Defeatist. Resigning. A sense he felt he couldn’t influence what was going on in front of his eyes.
But Nuno worked hard to build the bond between himself and his fanbase as well as his players, and by owning up and taking responsibility for the end product; Ange at least showed he intends to do the same.
His substitutions certainly didn’t help, however, Forest losing all control in midfield once Douglas Luiz’s debut came to an end. While it was the midfielder’s first taste of football this season, the change didn’t work, particularly with Morgan Gibbs-White replacing the Brazilian but failing to replicate the authority Luiz imposed, unsurprising given the England international’s style of play.
Yet apart from that, it’s hard to pin the result on Ange so early on in his tenure.
The game panned out with elements of ‘Ange-ball’ and ‘Nuno-ball’ on show, evident that change is coming but also clear it will take time to be mastered. The change felt under Nuno only really came after he had a full preseason and time on the training pitch, time that Ange will likely not be afforded if his football doesn’t bring results sharpish.
There were sprinklings of stardust on display that proved Postecoglou’s presence.
The flowing move that led to Forest’s second goal was trademark Ange. Oleksandr Zinchenko’s debut signified the introduction of the much-coveted inverted full-back, and the aggressive high line and man-to-man defensive style saw Forest look rigid — in the first half at least.
With the tweaks on display from Forest’s reserve team, excitement builds when thinking about how the style could be carried out by the A team. The license on Murillo to play out from the back and spray balls into midfield. The responsibility on Elliot Anderson to glue together and plug the gaps left by the aggressive offensive style. The volume of chances created that Chris Wood will be there to finish off.
There were signs too of the quality added over the summer, particularly when you compare Forest’s second string XI to that which took to the field against Exeter earlier on in the year.
As mentioned, Douglas Luiz’s experience was evident; players like him and Zinchenko who have played in various different systems under various managers will be vital as Forest adapt.
Dilane Bakwa and Omari Hutchinson’s full debuts also offered optimism, both direct, constantly looking to be positive and take a man on, providing genuine competition in the wide areas that we haven’t seen since the long-lost days of Joe Lolley, Sammy Ameobi and Albert Adomah.
Furthermore, both the potency of Igor Jesus to be in the right place to score two goals, and the impact of Arnaud Kalimuendo from the bench, give Forest a plethora of different options to challenge Chris Wood for the spot up top.
But whilst there were positive glimpses, the cracks showed more clearly.
Forest became complacent, never finding their flow in the second half and lacking the killer instinct to see the game out, professionally, like a European-bound side should be able to.
The substitutes failed to get into the flow, and once things were going against them, Ange’s tactical changes were non-existent. Forest ending the game unable string four passes together or get into the opposing half.
Unless they won it, the Carabao Cup was never going to define Nottingham Forest’s season. But the manner in which they crashed out of the competition must be analysed and the complacency eradicated as they continue to adjust to life in this radical new direction.
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