Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca recently revealed a conversation he had with former Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou regarding the tactics being employed at the club. Postecoglou, who was sacked from his position after just eight matches, reportedly struggled with a system he disliked during his tenure at the City Ground.

Maresca shared that he spoke to Postecoglou at the LMA awards, where the former Forest manager expressed his aversion to using a back-five formation. Postecoglou admitted that he despised playing with five defenders, except in certain circumstances like the Europa League final against Manchester United where the situation demanded it.

The tactics used by Postecoglou at Forest seemed to deviate from his preferred back-four setup, leading to confusion for Maresca while preparing for the game against Forest. Despite starting with a back-four, Postecoglou switched to a back-five/three formation towards the end of his tenure in an attempt to alter the team’s fortunes. Unfortunately, the change in tactics did not yield improved results, ultimately resulting in his dismissal.

Following Postecoglou’s departure, Sean Dyche took over as Forest’s manager and secured a win against FC Porto in his first game. However, Dyche is yet to secure a first Premier League victory, with a recent 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth pushing Forest down to 18th place in the division.

There has been speculation about whether Postecoglou could have steered Forest clear of relegation if he had remained in charge. Pundit Chris Sutton believes that Forest would have comfortably avoided relegation under Postecoglou due to the presence of talented players within the squad. However, his departure and subsequent changes in management have left Forest fighting to stay afloat in the league.