Ange Postecoglou is set to lead Nottingham Forest into Europe for the first time in three decades.
It really shouldn’t have been like this, however.
Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed after a falling out with Edu, but he was the mastermind behind Forest ending their extremely long sabbatical from European football.
Ange Postecoglou is learning about his team all the time, and after winning the Europa League last season, he can’t wait to get underway against Real Betis on Wednesday night.
What Ange Postecoglou told Celtic and Tottenham could help Nottingham Forest
Postecoglou was eyed by Marinakis way before Espirito Santo was actually sacked, and the Forest owner is a huge fan of his style of football.
However, the Reds haven’t won under his tenure yet, with the three games he’s overseen so far ending in a draw and two defeats.
Postecoglou won the Europa League with Tottenham last season and he’s now shared what he will be telling his players ahead of Wednesday that could help them out.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: “I’ve spent three years in Europe with Celtic and Tottenham. It takes you away from the day-to-day and the Premier League bubble.
“I think the players will enjoy that – different opponent, different conditions and a different challenge, I think we can get real growth out of that.
“There were plenty of times last season (with Spurs) where we were struggling in the league, because we had some injury issues, but we treated the European nights as something separate.
“Whatever issues you have in the league, you don’t take that into Europe; you treat it as a separate entity. We were going well in Europe and we consistently reflected on that – focus on this now, irrespective of what else is happening.”
Forest need at least one win this week
Lose to Real Betis and fail to beat Sunderland on home soil at the weekend, and the atmosphere around Forest will grow considerably bleak.
It’s been far too long since Forest failed to win a game of football, and last week’s defeat to Championship outfit Swansea has already sounded the alarm bells.
Postecoglou’s style of play will take some time to adapt to, but points are required on the board as a matter of urgency after a few pretty bleak weeks.
Hopefully, these comments stand up for Postecoglou and a relaxed Forest can get some momentum together during the next two games.
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