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Three games into the new Premier League season, we have the answer to many a soccer quiz question in the months to come. Nuno Espirito Santo is the first manager to get fired in 2025/26.
Despite guiding Nottingham Forest into Europe last season, the Portuguese coach has been relieved of his duties by Evangelos Marinakis. The former Tottenham boss, Ange Postecoglou, has been lined up as a replacement and will be confirmed imminently.
Though it will appear to be an odd decision to many, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is a big fan of the Australian. Indeed, after playing Spurs in the League Cup last season, the Dutchman expressed his desire to see Postecoglou end Tottenham's silverware drought.
"It's great work that Ange is doing. I hope, hope, hope that he (Postecoglou) wins a trophy — not the League Cup! — but I am completely a fan of his team for the Europa League," Slot said.
"People talk about trophies, trophies, trophies and that is so important. For me, his brand of football is so much more important.
"If he can combine it with winning something that would be so good for football in general because then people can stop talking about 'Is it too attacking?'. How on earth can you play too much attacking football?
"I think it is a privilege to be a season ticket holder at Tottenham and to be a fan of them at the moment because they play such a great style."
Spurs, of course, did end up winning a trophy, beating Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao. But Postecoglou was fired regardless and replaced by Thomas Frank.
"I really have to give them credit," Slot added. "They have always been a certain brand of football for me and a certain identity and Ange Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely.
"Every time, it is a joy to watch them. Once in a while results go against them but I think they are one of the teams to beat Manchester City like us."
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Nottingham Forest will face Arsenal in Postecoglou's first game in charge. That is the first match back as the Premier League resumes following the international break, with Liverpool traveling to Burnley the following day.
Liverpool.com says: Nottingham Forest going from Nuno to Postecoglou could not be much further apart in terms of style (or at least ideology). While the former Spurs boss was more pragmatic en route to winning the Europa League, that isn't his preferred way.
It will be fascinating to see how Postecoglou sets up a Nottingham Forest team filled with lots of attacking quality, but that has been used to defending deep and counter-attacking, doing so very successfully.
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