Gibbs-White Points Finger at ….. After Forest’s Swansea Collapse
Nottingham Forest’s hopes of Carabao Cup glory were shattered on Wednesday night as they suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Championship side Swansea City.
The loss marked the end of Forest’s cup run in just the second game under new manager Ange Postecoglou, following his recent appointment at the City Ground. What began as a promising evening quickly unraveled into chaos, with two first-half goals from striker Igor Jesus giving Forest a comfortable 2-0 lead at halftime. But a stunning late comeback from Swansea featuring a header from captain Cameron Burgess in the 68th minute, an equalizer from Zan Vipotnik in stoppage time, and a 97th-minute winner from Burgess sent the Premier League outfit packing.
The match, played at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium, was Postecoglou’s first venture into cup competition since replacing Nuno Espírito Santo earlier this month.
His debut Premier League outing had already ended in a 3-0 thrashing at Arsenal, leaving fans and players alike questioning the Australian’s high-pressing, attacking philosophy in its early stages. Postecoglou, known for his bold tactics from stints at Celtic and Tottenham, appeared shell-shocked as his side conceded twice in the dying embers, failing to hold onto their advantage despite introducing key substitutes like Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi around the hour mark.
Post-match tensions boiled over when star midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, Forest’s creative talisman and recent England international, unleashed a scathing assessment of his manager. Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone, the 25-year-old didn’t hold back: “We’ve got no structure out there. It’s chaos, and it’s costing us games we should be winning.
The gaffer’s ideas sound great on paper, but on the pitch, it’s leaving us exposed. I’m all for attacking football, but not if it means we’re leaking goals like this. We need to sort this out fast, or it’ll be a long season.”
Gibbs-White’s comments, unusually candid for a player still finding his feet under Postecoglou, have sent shockwaves through the Nottingham Forest camp. The former Swansea loanee, who spent time on loan with the Welsh side in 2020-21, knows the sting of cup upsets all too well. His frustration stems from limited minutes in the Arsenal defeat and a substituted role against Swansea, where he couldn’t stem the tide.
Sources close to the club suggest dressing-room murmurs about Postecoglou’s uncompromising style insisting on immediate implementation without a bedding-in period have been growing since his arrival on September 9.
Postecoglou, addressing the media afterward, took some responsibility but dismissed the criticism: “We’re building something exciting. Losses like this hurt, but they’ll make us stronger. The players need to buy in fully.” Yet, with Forest sitting precariously in the Premier League relegation zone after four games and now out of the Carabao Cup, the pressure is mounting.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis, who recently tied Gibbs-White to a new deal until 2028 amid Tottenham interest, will be watching closely. As Forest prepare for a tough league clash against Burnley on Sunday, the unity Postecoglou craves feels more fragile than ever. In the cutthroat world of English football, early exits and pointed fingers could define his tenure before it truly begins.
