Nottingham Forest fans are about to get their first taste of Ange Postecoglou’s style of football against Swansea City, but the new boss already knows that one star will fit it perfectly.
Almost immediately after the final whistle blew against Arsenal on Saturday, Postecoglou hinted at changing the system against Swansea to something more resembling his trademark attacking style.
There may well be some teething problems against the Championship side, but Wednesday’s game certainly represents the best available opportunity to begin implementing his style, especially with the start of the Europa League on the horizon.
Clearly, though, Postecoglou will have had time to ponder who will fit his system the best, with one star on his mind even before he stepped through the door at the City Ground.
Ange Postecoglou knew Ola Aina would be perfect for his style
The Australian was dealt a blow before he’d even made himself comfortable, as Ola Aina was ruled out for three months with a hamstring injury, weakening what was a stable defence under Nuno Espírito Santo.
What made the news even more brutal for Postecoglou, though, was his high opinion of the right-back, a player who he believed was already perfect for the more expansive style of play.
Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, he said: “I was looking forward to working with him. I watched him as an opponent last year and, particularly with the way I like my full-backs to play, he was a perfect fit for it.”
Clearly a hammer blow for Postecoglou, then, and given Nicolo Savona’s tough debut against Arsenal, the right-back position is significantly weakened with the absence of the Nigerian international.
Aina has now had surgery on his hamstring as the recovery gets underway, with Postecoglou providing an update on his star right-back ahead of the Swansea clash.
Ange Postecoglou provides injury update on Ola Aina
Aina will hopefully be fit and firing for the second half of the season, where, if all goes to plan, he’ll be able to experience the knockout stages of the Europa League.
Speaking in the same interview about Aina’s injury, Postecoglou said: “I know he was excited by the season ahead, back in European football.
“Sometimes when these things happen early in the year, I said to him that the best part of the season will be there for him so he can make a massive impact when it is most needed.
“His surgery went really well – that’s the first thing ticked. Now he’s got to work hard and rehab, which I’m sure he will, and he’ll stay close to the group.”
As a small consolation, having Aina with the group will certainly keep morale up, allowing him to influence the season at the training ground at least.
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