After Ange Postecoglou’s Europa League triumph — the crowning achievement of a managerial odyssey from semi-professional football in Australia to the Premier League, via Greece, Japan and Scotland — Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis had some kind words to say.
“What I want to say about Ange is that he has spoken about Greece many times, he is proud to be Greek, and in the great success he had with Tottenham Hotspur by winning the Europa League, he spoke about Greece,” Marinakis said while presenting Postecoglou, who was raised in Australia but born in Greece, with an award for being the first Greek manager to win a European trophy at the draw ceremony for the Greek Super League.
“A man who not only does not hide his origin but is also proud of it. What he achieved, he did with a team that has not won any titles. It has had a very difficult time in recent years.”
“In this huge success that the whole world saw, he promoted Greece. We must thank him especially for this, and we wish him well, although we are sure that he will do well, as he has the ability. Wherever he goes, the successes will come.”
Postecoglou and Maranakis at an awards show in July (Greek Super League)
As it transpired, Marinakis will hope those “successes” follow Postecoglou to the City Ground.
The first and most obvious question regarding Postecoglou’s fit at Forest is a footballing one.
Nuno Espirito Santo stabilised the club in the Premier League with a focus on defensive solidity and quick counter-attacks. Even at their best last season, Forest were rarely prolific, finishing the 2024-25 term with 58 goals, the joint-fewest in the top half of the table.
Crucially, however, they retained the solidity that had previously staved off relegation, content to sit back and let the opposition have possession before breaking quickly in transition through speedy wingers. Last season, the approach took them to seventh in the table and Europa League qualification, their best finish in two decades.
Postecoglou’s Tottenham were as close to a footballing antithesis to Nuno’s Forest last term. Spurs scored freely in the league, finishing the season with 64 goals, the same number as fourth-placed Chelsea. They also ended the season in 17th, the club’s worst finish in the Premier League era, and conceded 65 goals. The only clubs to concede more were Wolverhampton Wanderers and the three relegated sides.
Postecoglou’s principles are his principles. For better or worse, he sticks by them, at least in the league. Expect to see remarkably high lines, goalkeeper-led build-up and high-octane pressing, even in away trips to the Emirates Stadium. Famously, “it’s just who we are, mate”.
In the Europa League, particularly in the latter stages, however, Spurs were almost unrecognisable from Postecoglou’s stylistic handprint. For tough away trips to Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt, Spurs sat in a solid defensive structure and leaned on long balls and set pieces. In the 2023-24 season, Spurs were the Premier League’s most voracious pressers, allowing an average of 8.8 passes before attempting to win the ball back. In Frankfurt, this increased to 18.3, highlighting a previously unseen pragmatism. Whether that’s something Postecoglou is prepared to do in the league, however, remains to be seen.
Nuno’s style is very different from Postecoglou’s (Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
While there are valid footballing questions regarding Postecoglou’s fit in the wake of Nuno, there’s a spiritual crossover between the coach and club that will appeal to supporters.
Forest is a club steeped in history, success and tradition, and Postecoglou’s journey represents those principles as much as any coach in the league. His coaching is inextricably linked to his footballing education at the hands of his father, Jim, whose love of attacking football has influenced his ideas. Not to mention Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas, whom Postecoglou played under at South Melbourne Hellas in Australia and spent hours in the car alongside as his personal driver.
There’s also more than a hint of Brian Clough in the way Postecoglou handles press conferences, using impassioned speeches to voice his displeasure with the modern game — including a strong opposition to the VAR system.
This, however, may be Postecoglou’s most challenging brief yet. Forest have a squad packed with talent, but Postecoglou often takes at least one season to condition his players for his intense style of football.
Last season, Spurs had 41 separate injury cases (only Brighton & Hove Albion, 48, recorded more), according to Premier Injuries. Without a pre-season, that adaptation is made considerably more challenging.
And while Marinakis is clearly a fan, he is among the most demanding owners in the league and may not accept a turbulent start. The onus is on Postecoglou to hit the ground running, not least because he is replacing the club’s most successful coach of the 21st century.
Postecoglou may be one of just a few head coaches in the world who can step into his shoes.
Postecoglou with his Spurs players after winning the Europa League (Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
Even after finishing 17th in the league, Postecoglou was the face hundreds of thousands of Spurs fans wanted to see most at the trophy parade. As he has ascended through the levels to reach the pinnacle of football in the Premier League, he has retained near-universal adoration at every club he has passed through and will likely receive a warm reception when he returns to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in March. He creates a bond with players and fans who want to see him succeed wherever he goes.
Now, he faces the familiar task of bringing silverware back to a club who have not tasted it in a long time. Fortunately for Forest fans, he has the CV to suggest he can do just that.
(Top photo: Nicolo Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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