Steve Cooper’s status as Nottingham Forest’s manager seems to be hanging on by a thread following their poor run of form since the September international break.
Forest have won just one of their last 12 Premier League matches, failing to win any of their last five, which puts the side in 16th place on 14 points.
The heavy 5-0 away defeat to Fulham last Wednesday has seen the pressure on the Welsh boss increase, with rumours circulating about his future at the helm of the side he led to the top flight. According to the Daily Mail, Nottingham Forest have selected Oliver Glasner as a potential successor.
Oliver Glasner’s managerial stats
Glasner is a 49-year-old Austrian manager, who is mainly known for his time in the Bundesliga as manager of VfL Wolfsburg and most recently, Eintracht Frankfurt. The coach left Die Adler in June last summer after losing to RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal final and finishing seventh in the German first division.
Last season, Glasner coached Frankfurt out of Champions League Group D, before being knocked out by Napoli. They earned a place in the most elite European competition by winning the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League, Glasner's biggest managerial achievement by far.
It is clear that the Austrian has plenty of experience and the table below showcases his record as a manager.
Eintracht Frankfurt
97
39
VfL Wolfsburg
87
41
LASK
161
96
SV Ried
37
13
Oliver Glasner’s style of play
The "meticulous" manager – as dubbed by fellow coach Niko Kovac – has opted for a three at the back variant since his days at LASK, however, he often used a four-back at Wolfsburg, before returning to his trusty system at Frankfurt.
The 3-4-2-1 formation has become his most favoured and it is anticipated that he would deploy it at Forest.
Glasner’s system would work perfectly for the Reds given the current squad and the fact that Cooper has opted for a three-back multiple times this season. The Garibaldi team has a solid blend of athleticism and technical quality, which suits the Austrian’s approach.
The wide centre-backs in the back three must be comfortable at defending in the channel, entering duels and playing out from defence, which Murillo in particular is excellent at. The wingbacks will provide the out-ball and a large attacking responsibility, with their width creating more space in central areas.
The midfield two must be able to cover the ground well and reliably feed the ball to the two supporting attackers, who will stay inverted and use their technical quality to unlock the opponent.
Morgan Gibbs-White fits this role perfectly and he could become Glasner’s next Daichi Kamada. Taiwo Awoniyi Is also a typical striker that fits the mould, with the ex-Frankfurt coach utilising a forward that can link up play, run the channels and press from the front.
Overall, Glasner is the perfect fit for the Forest squad which means he is more likely to have an instant impact. He is a like-for-like swap for Cooper, and you could argue that it would be a safe appointment.
