Nottingham Forest have replaced popular manager Nuno Espirito Santo with former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, looking to build on last season’s Europa League qualification.
Hiring the manager who won the Europa League last season is a positive move, although Forest finished ten places and 27 points above Postecoglou’s Spurs side so they will expect a better league performance than the Australian managed in North London.
However, Postecoglou finished fifth the year before, and came with a good reputation from his time with Celtic before joining Spurs.
Among his biggest supporters has been Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who had followed Postecoglou’s progress from their first meeting in Japan in 2019, when Postecoglou’s Yokohama F Marinos played City in pre-season.
Pep Guardiola blown away by first impressions of Ange Postecoglou, and backed him to succeed at Tottenham
Manchester City beat Yokohama F Marinos, managed by Ange Postecoglou, in a 2019 friendly, but it left a lasting impression on Pep Guardiola.
Reflecting on that game four years later in 2023, Guardiola told a press conference: “I saw clips of his team play and I said ‘wow’, there were things in there I really liked. I told my players we are going to face a good team.
“We won because we had better players, but I realised this was the first time I met him [but I would see him again]. And since then I have followed him and in a short time he is here [the Premier League].”
Guardiola continued to back Postecoglou when he was manager at Tottenham, beating Guardiola’s men twice and drawing once in six meetings – including a 4-0 demolition of City at the Etihad Stadium last season.
Pep Guardiola praised Ange Postecoglou tactics, tells Nottingham Forest what to expect from their new manager
Explaining what he likes about Postecoglou’s teams, Guardiola’s assessment tells Nottingham Forest that they will get a style of football that reflects the manager and does not change for any specific opposition.
Ange Postecoglou record vs Manchester City in competitive games (Source: Transfermarkt)
Guardiola said: “I am impressed at many things they do – the chances they create, and aggression in all departments. He came here with nothing and within a few months already you can recognise Spurs as his team. Every team that plays with desire and determination comes from the manager.
“He makes football a better place – a person like Ange. I enjoy watching them play and the approach they have. The impact he has made has been quick and really good.
“The courage, the high line – so aggressive. Lots of combinations, they use the keeper. They arrive on the [wings], so dynamic, doesn’t matter who they play against, they play their game. It happened in Glasgow and now here [Tottenham].”