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Anderson ‘excited’ to work with Postecoglou as new Forest boss eyes quick changes

Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson says the players are fully behind new manager Ange Postecoglou after being handed a harsh reality check in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates.

Postecoglou was only appointed during the week, 95 days after leaving Tottenham, and had just a single training session with his new squad before facing Mikel Arteta’s side.

That lack of preparation showed as Arsenal, powered by new signings Viktor Gyökeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze, proved far too strong.

Anderson admitted it had been a whirlwind few days. “Yeah a little bit I guess,” he said of the transition. “We haven’t had much work on the training pitch but we’ve got to do the same things out there, fight for the team, fight for the badge. We’ll do that every game.”

While the result was a sobering one, the 21-year-old insisted there is already clarity about where Postecoglou wants to take the side. “He just said in the changing room, just to trust him and we’ll get back on the training pitch and we’ll look at things and ideas that we can improve on and we’re all focused,” Anderson explained.

Trust is a word that cropped up again and again. Postecoglou’s reputation as a coach with a clear vision was sometimes criticised at Spurs, but he is also a Europa League winner and Anderson said the squad are ready to embrace it. “Yeah, 100%. We’ve got the players in the changing room to do what he wants to do. So, we’ll all just need to believe in it and put things into practice and we’re positive it will pay off.”

Forest’s season does not pause for breath. A Carabao Cup trip to Swansea on Wednesday offers Postecoglou his first chance to notch a victory, while European football returns to the City Ground later this month.

For Anderson, that means there is no time to ease into a new system. “As quickly as possible to be honest,” he said. “It starts on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup. We need to go to Swansea and it starts there. So, every game matters to us and we’ll keep building.”

Looking further ahead, Forest prepare to defend the Europa League trophy Postecoglou won for Tottenham last season. Anderson admits the prospect of competing in Europe is exciting but knows it will be a steep learning curve. “Yeah, happy. Looking forward to working with him,” he said. “We know the challenges ahead, and we’re ready to take them on, one game at a time.”