Ange Postecoglu: A sour return to management

Oct 3, 2025 2 min read
Ange Postecoglu: A sour return to management
Ange Postecoglu

From saying "I win trophies in my second season", to actually winning the Europa League, to then finish 17th in the English Premier League and eventually getting sacked by Tottenham Hotspur.

Nottingham Forest had a bad start to the season, which made them pull the plug on former manager Nuno Espirito Santos and hire Ange Postecoglou. With Postecoglou in charge, Forrest fans thought this was the turning point of the season for them but things haven't gone to plan.

Poor start

With Postecoglou coming to Nottingham Forest things were expected to change but the reverse has been the case as Postecoglou is winless in his first six games with Nottingham Forest losing four and drawing two, making him the first Forest manager not to win his first six games in 100 years. With the latest defeat coming against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League

Dominating but not winning

Nottingham Forest's recent performances have been frustrating, especially considering their efforts on the pitch. Despite holding 65% possession against newly promoted Sunderland, the team couldn't convert their dominance into a victory. They ended up drawing against Burnley where they had a 63.3% possession, which was disappointing, but the loss to Sunderland was particularly hard to swallow for fans. It's evident that even with significant ball control, results haven't been going their way, leaving supporters eager for improvement as the season progresses.

Defensive weakness

One of Postecoglou's issues at Forest right now is their defence as they are one of just four sides in the Premier League to keep a clean sheet this season and they have also conceded nine goals in the Premier League this season with their expected goals against xGA being 7.7, which is one of the highest in the league this season.

Expectations and delivery

One of the reasons Ange postecoglu was brought in is to steady the leaky ship at Forest but it seems that the ship is still leaking and might be sinking at this point. Postecoglu won Tottenham Hotspur their first European trophy and with Forrest also in the Europa League, it is expected that Ange would take Forrest very far in the competition but so far they have taken just one point from two games with the latest coming

Though it's still early season, all the 3 points matter right now. Ange would be looking to turn things around in the next game and getting all the 3 points would give him a little bit of respite.

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