Sitting 19th in the Premier League was not the plan for Nottingham Forest after the arrival of a highly acclaimed manager and a £45m striker to fuel their ambitions. The fates of Oliver Glasner and Liam Delap are intertwined and with the stark stats of zero home goals and a solitary point at the City Ground: it is not the dream start they were aiming for. As Delap prepares to return to Ipswich, where his career ignited, on Friday night, Forest are remaining calm.
There is a desperation to get away from the short-termism that caused so many problems; 12 months ago, they were on their third head coach of a disappointing season. This summer they were ruthless with the removal of Vítor Pereira, who had done a fine job to escape the drop, because they saw an opportunity to upgrade with Glasner, hoping he could transform Forest like he did Crystal Palace. It cost plenty to acquire Glasner and Delap, which many fans believe should lead to instant results, but that is rarely the case in an industry as complicated as football.
For the coach it is a case of learning the club inside out while influencing performance through an implementation of his carefully choreographed methods. For the striker he needs to rebuild confidence and that comes via goals. In Glasner’s first full season at Palace, they won one of their first 13 league matches but ended comfortably in mid-table and as FA Cup winners.
It was similar at Eintracht Frankfurt, getting one victory in 10 but going on to win the Europa League. Learning the Glasner way is not straightforward for a team; it is different from what they have known. Playing three at the back is rarely the norm and nor is having two No 10s, all for Forest with the background of losing the club’s best player Elliot Anderson.
The recruitment was measured, targeting positions that required strengthening and avoiding needless purchases, which dogged the club after promotion. Replacing Anderson became a priority but Glasner felt James McAtee could adapt to a deeper role in midfield alongside the shrewd free signing Xaver Schlager. Ousmane Diomande was a coup in defence and Glasner’s lure convinced Daniel Muñoz to follow him from Selhurst Park.
Behind the obvious figures, there is plenty of underlying encouragement for Forest. Based on chances created and conceded, Glasner has had the best start of any Forest manager in the Premier League era. His team rank seventh, according to Opta, for expected goals (xG) but have scored the fewest – five – and are the biggest xG underperformers at -6.2.
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