Nottingham Forest face the unenviable task of turning around their worrying start to the season against defending champions Arsenal this Sunday.
The Tricky Trees have won only one of their opening six Premier League games of the season, sitting 15th with just five points on the board.
Their latest setback was a 3-1 defeat away at Crystal Palace, collapsing either side of half-time in South London despite taking the lead after just three minutes.
It’s been utterly underwhelming given the optimism surrounding the summer appointment of Oliver Glasner, who arrived after leading Palace to FA Cup, UEFA Conference League, and Community Shield titles.
So, what has been going wrong for Forest, and what does Glasner need to do to turn things around?
Wastefulness and wilting
Only Tottenham Hotspur (3) have scored fewer goals than Forest (5) in the Premier League so far this season. However, it’s certainly not an inability to generate openings that has held them back.
Glasner’s side are fourth in the top flight for big chances created (17), while only Manchester United (125) and Brighton (108) have attempted more shots (106). That has culminated in a total of 10.6 xG, which is the sixth-most in the Premier League.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been particularly creative, laying up seven big chances and 17 chances overall — the former a Premier League high and the latter second only to Pascal Gross (18). His xA of 1.9 is the highest of any individual player in the division.
Unfortunately, Forest’s forwards have utterly failed to capitalise on the chances Gibbs-White has provided. Dan Ndoye opened the scoring on Sunday, but has missed a team-high five big chances this term, with record signing Liam Delap missing three without converting one and Igor Jesus missing two.
Delap has been the biggest culprit in terms of xG underperformance at 0.93, while Jesus has underperformed by 0.82. The former’s latest mishap was blasting the ball straight at Palace goalkeeper Walter Benitez from close range, despite having almost the entire goal to aim for. Criticism surrounding Delap’s club-record £45m fee is starting to ring true.
Forest’s xG underperformance as a team of 5.6 is the highest of any Premier League side. Given they’ve drawn twice and lost by a single goal twice, you can’t help but feel like six points have been squandered at this early stage.
Crucially, this wastefulness also creates a dangerous domino effect. In Glasner’s high-intensity system, failing to finish attacks leaves his side overcommitted on the turnover, exposing a backline that is still adapting to his aggressive pressing demands when possession breaks down.
Those physical demands have also manifested in when Forest concede goals, rather than just how. Eight of the 10 goals Glasner’s men have allowed across all competitions this season have come in the second half, with five of them on or after the hour mark. In fact, Daichi Kamada‘s and Jefferson Lerma‘s strikes just before half-time at Selhurst Park over the weekend were the first goals Forest have conceded in the first half this campaign.
In short, Forest are fading in games under the stress of a more demanding style.
Most worryingly for any side looking to recover from a poor start, the majority of these problems have been particularly acute on home soil…
No home comforts for Nottingham Forest
Forest have taken just one point from three games at the City Ground so far in 2026/27, drawing 0-0 with Tottenham Hotspur and suffering 1-0 defeats to Leeds United and Coventry.
Yes, you read that correctly: Nottingham Forest are yet to score a goal at home so far this season in a record that extends to the EFL Cup, where they lost 2-0 to Leeds. That is in direct contrast to four points and five goals scored on the road.
Supporters have raised issues around the atmosphere at the City Ground, but to blame the fans would be cheap. Glasner won’t want to pass the blame on to an intangible.
That said, there is at least a nervousness about Forest in the final third when playing in front of their own fans that simply isn’t rearing its ugly head on the road.
Forest have the perfect chance to put that right against champions Arsenal this weekend. But the Gunners are the masters of controlling game state and profiting from opposition errors. If trends continue in that fixture and Mikel Arteta‘s men put the Tricky Trees to the sword, Glasner may become the latest Premier League manager to start sweating on his job security.