Nottingham Forest Aims for First Win Under Postecoglou
"This is what comes with trying to get to the top. You're always going to have blips, but when we get that first win, we'll be unstoppable."
Morgan Gibbs-White's confidence reflects a strong belief within the Nottingham Forest camp as they await their first victory under manager Ange Postecoglou. The team has yet to secure a win after five matches since Postecoglou's appointment and is set to face FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.
Postecoglou took over from Nuno Espirito Santo last month, who led Forest back to Europe for the first time in 30 years, with the goal of winning trophies. Having previously won the Europa League with Tottenham last season before his dismissal just 16 days later, the 60-year-old understands that progress in football is not always straightforward—a sentiment echoed by Gibbs-White.
Gibbs-White commented, "The path to the top isn't always beautiful, and it's not always glorious. In the past month and a half, we've experienced a managerial change and a lot of transitions within the club. We haven't won yet, so it hasn't been all smooth sailing. We've faced relegation struggles, enjoyed a great season last year, and now we're in Europe. The manager has integrated well with the team, and we believe in his ideas. He is well respected in the group, and that is evident in our play. While this has been a challenging time, we are confident that once we secure that first win, we'll be fine."
This match marks the first European encounter at the City Ground since March 1996, when a Bayern Munich team featuring legends like Jurgen Klinsmann and Oliver Kahn defeated Forest 5-1. Following that quarter-final, which Bayern won 7-2 on aggregate, Forest has not returned to European competition until now.
Midtjylland arrives after Forest's opening Europa League match, which ended in a 2-2 draw against Real Betis last week. The fact that a point was considered disappointing—after Anthony leveled for the hosts with five minutes remaining—highlights the progress Forest has made since narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Postecoglou acknowledged the significance of returning to European football, stating, "I feel privileged to be in this position, following the groundwork laid by previous managers like Steve Cooper and Nuno. I do not take this opportunity lightly. It is an honor to lead this club back to Europe for the first time in 30 years, and I hope to make it a memorable campaign. More importantly, this club aspires to compete at this level every season. European nights are always special, and after a 30-year absence, I believe this will be one of those nights."
Context is essential when assessing the team's slow start. Postecoglou's first match resulted in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal, occurring after just one full training session with the entire squad following the international break. While there have been glimpses of the high-tempo, free-flowing style he aims to implement, results have yet to follow, with a recent 1-1 draw at Burnley and a late collapse in the Carabao Cup against Swansea.
Despite the winless streak, there are no internal concerns about the team's performance, as belief remains that time is needed for the squad to adapt. Full-back Neco Williams remarked, "A key thing the manager said is that once everyone is on board with the style of play and tactics, the quicker the results will come. It’s up to us now to adapt to his tactics, which are quite different from our previous manager. The sooner we come together, the sooner we will achieve results."
Postecoglou himself is confident that results will materialize as the squad becomes accustomed to his style, following almost two years under Nuno. Statistically, there has been little difference so far, with Forest maintaining 58% possession under Postecoglou, slightly up from 57% under Nuno. However, the new manager's approach has led to 146 more passes and 44 shots in three league matches, compared to 31 under Nuno, though they have only scored once.
Defensively, Forest has faced more shots (39) under Postecoglou than they did under Nuno (30), yet their expected goals against has decreased from 5.0 to 3.9. In comparing Postecoglou's Tottenham with Nuno's Forest from last season, significant differences emerge in key metrics, including errors leading to goals and expected goals against.
Postecoglou emphasized the need for continued development, stating, "We need to keep evolving our football. It's not just about alleviating pressure, but I genuinely believe that once everything clicks, we will become a top team, and results will follow. I would hate to reach the business end of the season and look back at this stage wishing we had secured a few more wins. I have no doubt that results will come, and we will be an exciting team to watch, and the results will reflect that. It's crucial to win games at this early stage, so when everything does click, we are in a position to succeed."