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Mikel Arteta says William Saliba trained yesterday but “wasn’t fully ready” so they decided not to risk him.
Ben Fisher on the arrival of Ange Postecoglou
David Hytner
In September 2023, Ange Postecoglou secured a creditable 2-2 draw for Tottenham at Arsenal in his first north London derby. It was a moment – six Premier League games into his tenure – when people wondered whether his team might be the real thing. In September of last year, after another derby against Arsenal, this one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the manager came out with his famous comment about how he always won silverware in his second season. And here we are again. Postecoglou versus Arsenal in the early weeks of a season; the plot-lines crackling.
It is a little sleepy around the stadium at the moment; too early in the day, perhaps, for any Ange-baiting from the Arsenal support. That will change. It is rare that a visiting manager transcends a game here but that is the unmistakable vibe around Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest debut. He has succeeded a very popular guy in Nuno Espirito Santo at a club where a major power battle has just played out, Edu (the ex-Arsenal sporting director) getting the vote of confidence from Evangelos Marinakis rather than Nuno. Postecoglou’s preferred approach is the polar opposite to that of his predecessor. And he must get it to click immediately. Good thing Ange has never taken the easy path.
Team news
Ebere Eze makes his full Arsenal debut, replacing Gabriel Martinelli in one of three changes from the defeat at Arsenal. Martin Odegaard comes in for Declan Rice, who is rested, and Cristhian Mosquera covers for the injured William Saliba.
Ange Postecoglou makes only one enforced change to the last Nottingham Forest XI selected by Nuno Espirito Santo. Morato comes in for the injured Ola Aina, which probably means a switch to right-back for Neco Williams.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino; Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze.
Subs: Kepa, White, Lewis-Skelly, Hincapie, Rice, Nwaneri, Dowman, Martinelli, Trossard.
Nottm Forest (4-2-3-1) Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Subs: Victor, Luiz, Kalimuendo, Hutchinson, Yates, McAtee, Bakwa, Boly, Savona.
Referee Darren England.
Preamble
Narrative is oxygen in modern football coverage, and we’ll all be gulping plenty of the good stuff this afternoon. Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham Hotspur legend, takes charge of Nottingham Forest for the first time at the home of Spurs’ biggest rivals.
That’s it; that’s your preamble. Any further narrative in such a short space of time and you’ll be at risk of aerophagia.
Kick off 12.30pm.
