Nottingham Forest conceded a set-piece against Sunderland, and despite the controversial circumstances surrounding the goal, it has brought to light something extremely concerning.
The wait for a first win for Postecoglou will continue to be the talking point until he can finally get one under his belt.
His first home game as Forest boss was meant to be the turning point of his terrible start, but the newly promoted side shocked the Australian with an excellently delivered free kick, and that would be the only goal of the game.
While the set piece should not have been given, with Neco Williams in disbelief that it was, the defending for it was not good.
Now a new stat has highlighted that this could be a recurring theme across the season.
Ange Postecoglou’s teams are poor at defending set pieces
Ange Postecoglou has been in the Premier League since 2023/2024 and he has now gained an unwelcome record to his name.
Forest’s loss against Sunderland came at the hands of a set piece, and history shows that the outcome should not be a surprise.
According to the Premier League, since the start of 2023/24, sides managed by Postecoglou have conceded 34 Premier League goals from set pieces, more than any other manager.
However, this is not the only worrying Postecoglou stat.
The next highest on the list is former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil, who conceded 26 goals.
Ange Postecoglou must address this concern as quickly as possible. Set pieces are becoming more and more important in the Premier League, as seen by clubs appointing set-piece coaches.
If Forest are becoming increasingly weak at defending set plays, then the 60-year-old’s team will no doubt be targeted by them throughout games, and that is worrying based on how they defended against Sunderland.
Additional data also shows that this issue can only be attributed to the Australian and not the Tricky Trees.
Nottingham Forest were good at defending set pieces last season
This issue is solely an Ange Postecoglou one and not a combination of the team and the coach.
Last season, Forest only conceded nine goals from set pieces, which was the sixth lowest in the Premier League.
Additionally, they were the league leaders when it comes to scoring from them with 17 goals. The use of set pieces can be a real asset for Postecoglou, but he has to put focus on becoming better in both defending and scoring from them.
Corners and free kicks were one of the Tricky Trees’ biggest threats last season, and if they lose that this year, it could be a big blow to their hopes for success.
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