“Sean Dyche takes subtle swipe at Ange Postecoglou after Nottingham Forest lose to Brighton

“Sean Dyche takes subtle swipe at Ange Postecoglou after Nottingham Forest lose to Brighton

Sean Dyche saw his Nottingham Forest side suffer their first defeat in five games across all competitions as Brighton secured a 2-0 win at the City Ground.

The result served as a stark reminder that Forest still have work to do to pull clear of the relegation zone, and there is no room for complacency.

Wins over Leeds and Liverpool in recent weeks had lifted the Reds out of the bottom three, but this defeat brought a dose of reality for supporters who had begun to feel confident about the season.

Dyche has hinted at potential changes for the upcoming clash with Wolves, meaning it is back to the drawing board for the Forest manager and his coaching staff.

Dyche takes a subtle swipe at Ange Postecoglou

Postecoglou’s brief tenure at Forest is unlikely to be fondly remembered, with many ranking him alongside Alex McLeish as one of the club’s least successful managers.

The Australian failed to win a single game in charge, while Dyche has managed to steady the ship using largely the same resources.

Dyche appeared to allude to lingering issues from Postecoglou’s time, particularly regarding fitness levels. Speaking to the BBC after the Brighton loss, he said:

“The injury list hasn’t been right since before my time, so we need to get players back to full fitness. The edge and sharpness the squad has shown recently has been pleasing, and we’ve been scoring goals too.

But today shows you must stick to the basics for 95 minutes; focus is key. The first goal came from a basic team shape error, and that can’t happen.

“There have been good signs recently, and it would be harsh if fans had questioned the team after what they’ve seen.

We were below our minimum level in the first 20 minutes, but we kept a clean sheet during that period, giving us time to recover.

I must commend the players—they threw themselves into blocks and tackles. Once we regrouped, it was a solid performance.”

Forest hope for Murillo’s return

A key concern is the absence of Murillo, with the hope being that his omission against Brighton was purely due to the short turnaround from Thursday’s match against Malmö.

The Brazilian’s pace is vital to Forest’s defensive setup, and his absence is felt across the backline.

Dyche will be hoping to have Murillo available for Wednesday’s fixture and subsequently for the trip to Everton’s new stadium on Saturday. While Morato can fill in, he, like Nikola Milenkovic, lacks the necessary speed to cope with teams like Brighton that rely heavily on pace.

Dyche’s comments about fitness issues also appear to be a subtle critique of Postecoglou’s methods during his time at the club, highlighting the manager’s commitment to ensuring the squad reaches the required levels for Premier League competition.