Nottingham Forest Triumphs Over Aston Villa: Glasner's Humble Approach
Oliver Glasner walked out of Villa Park on Saturday with another win over Unai Emery and a smile that said he knew exactly what it meant – and exactly where to keep it in perspective.
The 2-1 victory for Nottingham Forest not only dented Aston Villa’s afternoon but stretched Glasner’s unbeaten run against the Spaniard to eight matches. Six wins, two draws. From Crystal Palace to Forest, Emery still hasn’t found a way past him.
Glasner, though, made sure nobody got carried away.
“Oliver Glasner, stay humble”
He shared the story himself. Before kick-off, he had a quiet word with Emery.
‘I spoke to him before the game and told him that it was still 5-2 to him, in terms of European trophies won,’ Glasner said afterwards. ‘I said to myself “Oliver Glasner, stay humble”.’
The Austrian was determined to keep the spotlight on those in red rather than the man in the technical area.
‘I will stay that way. Every win is great, but I did not play one second today. The players deserve all the credit, because they did so well. Our fans deserve the credit, because they supported us. Now we will go home and have a lovely Saturday evening.’
They had earned it. This was a win built on improvisation, late-night decisions and a defensive unit held together by tape, trust and a bit of pain tolerance.
Chaos on the eve of kick-off
Forest’s preparations were shredded on Friday night. Two key defenders, Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha, both pulled up with hamstring problems in the final training session. Scans followed. Bad news arrived late.
‘It was 9.30pm when we got the result of scans that told us that Jair Cunha and Nikola could not play,’ Glasner revealed. The plan had to be ripped up on the spot.
So he went knocking.
‘I knocked at Ola and Ousmane’s door and told them they would be playing. I spoke with Ola a little bit about playing in the back three. I told him I think he can.’
No long tactical seminars. No time. Just clarity, trust and a reshuffled back line that would have to stand up to a Villa side chasing Europe again.
Glasner’s verdict on what followed was telling: ‘We are pleased with the win, but much more pleased with the performance and most pleased with the resilience showed today.’
The pressure from Villa was always going to come. Forest’s answer was to dig in.
Murillo plays through the pain
That resilience had a face: Murillo.
The Brazilian defender could easily have sat this one out. His knees were troubling him in training, and with two centre-backs already ruled out, Forest’s defensive depth was on the brink.
Instead, he pushed himself to play.
‘I can tell you now that Murillo had some pain in his knees before the game, in training. But he said “no, Gaffer, I will play”,’ Glasner said, a hint of pride in his voice as he underlined the mentality in his squad.
Murillo’s decision mattered. With Forest stretched, his presence in the back three helped anchor a performance that allowed the attacking players to make the difference at the other end.
Liam Delap struck. Igor Jesus followed. Villa, who finished with ten men after Ian Maatsen went off injured, could not find a way back. Forest left with a 2-1 win and a manager who now has six victories over Emery on his record.
On paper, it’s a tactical rivalry tilting heavily one way. On the touchline, Glasner keeps reminding himself of those European trophies and that internal mantra: stay humble.
Eyes already on Coventry
While the celebrations rolled on in Nottingham, Glasner had already switched to the next problem: who he will actually have available for the trip to Coventry City on September 19.
Milenkovic, he admitted, is unlikely to make it.
‘Nikola was a bit more serious and will miss the Coventry game. We are hopeful that he will be back after the international break,’ he said.
Jair Cunha’s situation looks slightly brighter, but there are no guarantees.
‘We hope Jair could be back for the Coventry game. But we have to be cautious. Let’s see.’
Resilience carried Forest through at Villa Park. With injuries stacking up and fixtures looming, the question now is simple: how long can they keep riding that edge?
