Nottingham Forest's Ange Postecoglou Urges Team To Trust Process Ahead Of Europa League Clash

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Ange Postecoglou is encouraging Nottingham Forest to remain patient as they seek their first victory under his leadership. Ahead of their Europa League match against Midtjylland, he emphasises the importance of trusting the process. European football returns to The City Ground for the first time since March 1996, when Bayern Munich defeated them 5-1 in the UEFA Cup.

Forest's recent form has been challenging, with two draws and three losses since Postecoglou took over from Nuno Espirito Santo. Despite these setbacks, Postecoglou remains optimistic about his team's progress. "It's only natural, whether it's players or anyone associated with the club, when we've been on the kind of run when we haven't won in a while, it becomes a bit more prevalent in people's minds," he said.

Facing Midtjylland will be Forest's first encounter with a Danish team in Europe. Mike Tullberg's side is currently on a six-match winning streak in European competitions, including qualifiers. Despite this challenge, Postecoglou is eager to secure a positive result in Forest's first European home game in nearly three decades.

Postecoglou acknowledges the efforts of previous managers like Steve Cooper and Nuno Espirito Santo for bringing the club to this stage. "It's on the backs of guys like Coops [Steve Cooper] and Nuno who have got us to this point, so I don't take that lightly, it is a privilege," he added.

The Australian manager believes that securing a win would boost player confidence and accelerate growth. He stated that despite dominating games and creating more chances than opponents, victories have been elusive. "We want the players to feel the reward of that because it accelerates growth and belief," he explained.

Morgan Gibbs-White shares his excitement about returning to European competition but stresses not placing too much expectation on any single tournament early in the season. "Thursday will be an incredibly proud moment for me in my career," Gibbs-White said.

Focus on Winning Mentality

Gibbs-White emphasises taking each game as it comes without prioritising one competition over another. "The main priority is winning [on Thursday], and then after that game it will be Newcastle [United]. So, there are no priorities," he noted.

Postecoglou appreciates how players have embraced new methods since his arrival. He wants them to reap rewards for their hard work as they continue producing strong performances across physical metrics.

The manager remains confident that by maintaining their current approach, results will eventually follow. "It's not about going away from what we've been doing; that's for sure," he concluded.