Oliver Glasner and Liam Delap hit the spotlight as Forest slump

Oliver Glasner arrived at Nottingham Forest in the summer and is already under pressure after managing just one win since taking over. The wider picture is bleak: the club are 19th in the Premier League, with zero home goals and one point at the City Ground, putting both Glasner and Liam Delap in the spotlight.

A start that doesn’t fit

Delap is set to return to Ipswich on Friday, but his Forest spell still hasn’t produced goals at home. The striker is still searching for confidence after a difficult season at Chelsea and limited pre-season work. His target is simple: improve on a record of one league goal every five appearances.

Glasner also pointed to context around results. After Nottingham allowed Arsenal just one shot on target last Sunday — which deflected in for the deciding goal — he said: “It feels very unfair… We have to accept we are missing some bits. But the performance in many parts was very good.” He also referenced the absence of captain Morgan Gibbs-White.

Underlying numbers, real urgency

Despite the lack of goals, the process has visible support in the numbers. According to Opta, Forest rank seventh for expected goals, yet have scored the fewest: five. Their xG underperformance sits at -6.2, with 62 home shots that didn’t turn into goals. With that gap so large — missing nearly a goal per game versus xG — the fans’ patience is starting to run thin.

George Syrianos, chief football officer and Glasner’s biggest advocate, has told supporters the manager will be given time, which contrasts with the owner’s generally low tolerance for short-term setbacks. Friday will be Glasner’s eighth Premier League match at Forest, already three more than Ange Postecoglou was allowed before being sacked this time last year.