Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner is facing early pressure as his team languishes in the Premier League relegation zone after three straight defeats. The 1-0 home loss to Arsenal last Friday left Forest 19th in the table with just five points from seven games, a position that intensifies the scrutiny on the new boss.
Glasner, appointed in the summer after leaving Crystal Palace, believes the performances are better than the results suggest. "It feels unfair but I don't want to be complaining and feeling as victims," he told reporters after the Arsenal match. He pointed to the team's structure and the volume of chances created as signs of progress, even as the goals have dried up. Forest have scored only five league goals all season, the lowest tally in the division.
Squad challenges and attacking woes
Injuries have not helped Glasner's search for consistency. Key attacker Morgan Gibbs-White missed the Arsenal game with a muscle problem, while club captain Ryan Yates is yet to feature this campaign. The manager is still settling on a preferred line-up, with new signing Daniel Munoz taking the wing-back role from Ola Aina.
The underlying numbers highlight a stark problem in front of goal. Forest have taken 120 shots, the third-highest total in the league, but have converted just 4.17% of them. Their expected goals deficit of -6.20 is the worst in the Premier League, meaning they are finishing chances far below the average quality they create. At the City Ground, the issue is acute: 62 home shots have yielded zero goals, contributing to a run of eight hours and 26 minutes without a league goal in front of their own supporters.
Looking for a response at Portman Road
Glasner has reiterated the need for his squad to stick together. "Every team in the Premier League has the quality to come back into a game to score a goal," he said, urging belief. The immediate chance to respond comes on Friday night away to Ipswich Town, who sit 10th. It will be Glasner's eighth league match in charge, a point at which comparisons to previous managers become inevitable.
Forest's recent form reads three losses and one win from their last four, with their sole victory coming away at Aston Villa last month. They now travel to Portman Road 16 points behind leaders Manchester City, a gap that shows the scale of the task. Defender Murillo acknowledged the adaptation period under the new boss, saying the team is "close to reaching our best" after a systemic overhaul. Glasner will hope that breakthrough arrives in Suffolk to kickstart his tenure.
More detail at bbc.co.uk
