Arsenal – Nottingham Forest: More Anguish for Postecoglou At the Arsenal (3-0)

A familiar face from enemy lines across North London has landed a new job in the Midlands. He tried his hand against Arsenal again to no success on a difficult debut as an unfancied figure from the capital city continues to find favor with a new set of fans at the Emirates Stadium.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Are Arsenal ever going to get over the line? They finished as Premier League runners-up three years in a row, bowed out of the final four of the Champions League in May, and have not won a major honor since 2020. The board backed Mikel Arteta with eight summer signings to strengthen the squad and add some more stardust to the attack, but it is down to the manager to get the best out of the tools. The trips to Manchester United and Liverpool have lifted the lid on an ongoing project of evolution.

While Arteta has benefitted from a strong and stable bond with the board, his counterpart has come into a fraught situation. Nottingham Forest finished the 2024/25 season badly, but still sealed seventh spot and nabbed a place in the Europa League. Yet, Evangelos Marinakis and Nuno Espiríto Santo fell out irreparably, and the head . . .