Glasner hands Forest’s finishing lesson to Chris Wood as pressure builds

Oliver Glasner has turned to Chris Wood for a lesson in scoring, asking Nottingham Forest’s veteran striker to speak to the squad as the club tries to convert chances into goals. Glasner is under scrutiny after Forest won only once in his first seven matches in all competitions, Sky Sports reports.

Forest have taken the Premier League’s third-most shots but are the division’s second-lowest scorers. Sky Sports reports that they rank 19th for shot conversion and have scored five fewer goals than their expected-goals total.

Wood, 34, has made one league appearance this season without a goal or assist. His wider record made him the obvious person to offer advice: he has scored nearly 200 times in English football, including 92 Premier League goals.

“I was explaining to the team what we were going to do,” Glasner told Sky Sports. “Chris Wood was standing next to me and I passed the words to him because he has scored almost 200 goals in English football, 92 in the Premier League.”

Glasner said Wood urged the players: “Never lose your confidence in your ability.” The striker also reminded them that another chance would come, according to the Forest head coach. Glasner said he welcomed the experience Wood could bring, adding that managers should not be expected to have every answer and that players can support one another with advice.

The challenge is not simply creating opportunities. Forest had 24 shots in last weekend’s defeat at Crystal Palace, which Glasner called their best attacking performance but also their most frustrating result yet. He said the team pressed high, created chances in open play and threatened from set-pieces, but lacked “the final bit”. Glasner said his priority was to stay calm: he would be concerned if Forest were not creating chances or were conceding too many, but he felt the opposite was true.

Forest’s home form adds to the urgency. They have won only once at the City Ground in the league since Christmas and have yet to score there this season. Their league record matches the one they had at this point last season, when Nuno Espírito Santo had already lost his job before Ange Postecoglou became the club’s second managerial casualty in the opening eight games.

Arsenal are next, with 15 points from six matches after five wins and one defeat. Glasner praised their running and work rate, while saying he expected Forest to create “two, three, four good chances” on Sunday. For a side struggling to finish despite frequent shooting, taking those chances would matter both on the scoreboard and for a manager already under pressure.