Ange Postecoglou's 'punish' remark sums up what he thinks of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal problem

Ange Postecoglou knows his new Nottingham Forest side can be "punished" by Arsenal, despite the Gunners nursing injuries to key players. The former Tottenham Hotspur head coach makes his bow as Forest boss at, of all places, the Emirates in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off.

The Australian boss has replaced Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked by Forest just three games into the season after falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis. He faces an Arsenal team with several injury issues.

Bukayo Saka is definitely out, William Saliba was a doubt, while Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are long-term absentees. But given the Gunners' strength in depth, Postecoglou knows Mikel Arteta's side will pose Forest plenty of problems.

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Postecoglou made his feelings clear on Arsenal ahead of a north London derby 12 months ago. The Gunners were without Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, and Martin Odegaard but still won 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“That's a hell of a trap to fall into, if you think they are reliant on two players,” he said ahead of that game. "They can fill the gaps they have because they have the quality in their squad. The key for us is to focus on our performance.

“If we go in there thinking they are somehow weakened, we are going to get punished. If we go into it thinking they are going to be very strong, which I think they will be, then we have got to be at our best.”

Since then, Arsenal have strengthened heavily following a busy transfer window that saw the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi arrive at the Emirates.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou insists the Forest squad he has inherited has the strength to challenge for European football again. He said: “I really like the squad. It’s got great balance in terms of being able to cover most positions for the rotations you need.

“There’s a variance in styles in there that will allow you to play differently. There’s no doubt European football has different demands on you than the Premier League and the cup competitions as well.

“We want to compete on all fronts. I’ve only had two days with the players. It will be one day with the whole squad.

“I think there’s a good balance there. A squad that I think is ready to compete but also robust enough to handle the challenge.”

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