Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou has been given a stark reminder of how brutal football management can be.
Forest were 2-0 up against Swansea City last night but contrived to lose, conceding in the third and seventh minutes of stoppage time to exit the Carabao Cup.
Michael Dawson did praise James McAtee for his performance in the team, but ultimately, Postecoglou went mad at his Forest team after the contest.
Positives were aplenty during this game, and one thing Postecoglou will have learned is which player he should be building his team around for the foreseeable future.
Nottingham Forest must build team around Douglas Luiz
Edu fought hard to sign Luiz and on last night’s showing, it’s easy to see why.
In truth, things started to unravel for Forest from the moment Luiz was taken off the field after completing his first 60-minute appearance since signing from Juventus.
Forest fans were very impressed with Luiz, and his performance essentially showcased that he’s had enough of sitting on the bench and wants to play under Postecoglou.
Luiz replaced Ibrahim Sangare in the starting eleven, and it seems certain that he will now keep his place for the game against Burnley on Saturday.
Douglas Luiz stats vs Swansea
This was a solid performance for Luiz, given that he’s not really had much of a pre-season.
Luiz recycles the ball in close spaces very well, and he will surely get the nod to partner Elliot Anderson in midfield at Burnley this weekend.
| Douglas Luiz stats vs Swansea City | Total |
| Accurate Passes | 32/37 |
| Ground Duels Won | 5/5 |
| Fouled | 4 |
| Possession Lost | 8 |
| Sofa Score Rating | 7.2 |
With over 200 appearances in the Premier League for Aston Villa, Luiz will surely be itching to stake his claim for a place in the top-flight for Forest.
His showing against Swansea was magnificent, and hopefully, the shirt is now his to lose in the Premier League.
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