Ange Postecoglou issues Nottingham Forest demand after Swansea capitulation

Ange Postecoglou has demanded 'cooler heads' from his Nottingham Forest after watching his Reds squad exit the Carabaoa Cup after giving away a two-goal lead.

Success seemed within reach during the encounter at Swansea City when Forest established a commanding two-goal advantage in the third-round fixture. However, they were left shell-shocked at the final whistle after shipping twice during added time to suffer a devastating 3-2 reverse.

Following the weekend's crushing 3-0 defeat at Arsenal, it hasn't been the beginning to his Forest tenure that Postecoglou had envisaged. He understands his squad must swiftly regroup when they make the trip to Burnley on Saturday (3pm kick-off), and he wants to see a far more disciplined display.

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The ex-Tottenham Hotspur chief highlighted a sense of overconfidence from the away side as they squandered the match against the Swans. The home team had clawed their way back into contention in the 68th minute, following Postecoglou's quartet of changes - two at half-time and two beyond the hour mark - but he believed the alterations didn't disrupt his side's flow.

"No, not really. A lot of those changes we had to make because some guys still aren't in the physical condition to see out the game. You could tell they were tiring," Postecoglou said, reports Nottinghamshire Live.

"Even with the guys who came on, it just needed some calmer heads and being a bit more clinical in our actions - both in taking chances but also in the way we set up. We just allowed the opposition to get into the game.

"You can look at some positive performances. But ultimately the overriding factor is we are out of a cup competition that really we should have progressed in. That opportunity, we shouldn't have lost.

"We can look at the individuals within that, and there were some promising performances. It was important that some of the guys played - you could see they needed a game. But all that fades away when you realise we missed a great opportunity to progress."

Following the final whistle, Postecoglou made his way towards the travelling supporters and seemed to be gesturing towards himself.

However, he insisted there was nothing more to read into the moment and explained he simply wanted to show appreciation for the fans who had endured the lengthy journey.

"I was just acknowledging the fans. We put them through a tough night, so I was just acknowledging the fans," he said.

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