Nottingham Forest is undergoing a significant transformation under the guidance of coach Ange Postecoglou, with a noticeable shift towards a passing-based style of play. Despite this change, the team is still awaiting its first win under Postecoglou's leadership.
In their recent 1-1 draw against Burnley, Forest demonstrated a notable increase in possession, with 63.3% of the ball at their disposal. This is the highest possession percentage the team has achieved in any Premier League game since their return to the competition in 2022. The influence of Postecoglou on the team is already apparent, with players like Elliot Anderson and Oleksandr Zinchenko leading the way in terms of passing completion.
Anderson completed 98 passes in the game, while Zinchenko completed 88 in his first Premier League start for Forest. These numbers are impressive, especially considering that no other Forest player has achieved 80 successful passes in a Premier League game since the team's return in 2022. The team's total pass count of 500 in the game against Burnley also broke the record for the most passes completed in a Premier League game during that period.
The data suggests that Forest is becoming a more passing-oriented team under Postecoglou's guidance. The team had 24 pass sequences of 10 or more in the game against Burnley, which is six more than their next highest total across the last four seasons. This shift in style is a deliberate change in tactic, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves in the coming games.
While some might argue that this new approach is a response to the team's struggles, it is clear that Postecoglou is committed to playing with the ball. The optimistic interpretation is that he can help players like Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White flourish, while the pessimist might view it as a risk of losing the unique approach that carried the team to third in the Premier League table as late as April of last season.
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