Oliver Glasner's Impressive Record Against Unai Emery
Oliver Glasner walked out of Villa Park on Saturday with another win over Unai Emery and a wry reminder to himself ringing in his ears: stay humble.
The Nottingham Forest head coach has now faced Emery eight times across his spells at Crystal Palace and Forest. He has not lost once. Six wins. Two draws. A personal record that would make most coaches crow.
Glasner refused to.
“I spoke to him before the game and told him that it was still 5-2 to him, in terms of European trophies won. I said to myself ‘Oliver Glasner, stay humble’,” he told reporters afterwards. “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.”
Chaos on the eve of kick-off
This was not a routine away win. Forest’s preparation disintegrated late on Friday night.
Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha both pulled up with hamstring problems in the final training session. The scans came back at 9.30pm. Both ruled out. A defensive plan shredded on the eve of the game.
Glasner laid out the scramble that followed.
“We are pleased with the win, but much more pleased with the performance and most pleased with the resilience showed today,” he said. “It was 9.30pm when we got the result of scans that told us that Jair Cunha and Nikola could not play. 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.”
Those late knocks on hotel doors turned into a reshaped back line and a patched-up plan. Forest still found a way.
Murillo’s decision and a statement win
If the injuries stretched Forest’s depth, Murillo stretched his own limits.
The Brazilian defender had felt pain in his knees in training. With Milenkovic and Jair Cunha out, Glasner could hardly afford another absentee. Murillo made the call.
“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 revealed, a simple line that summed up the mood in the dressing room.
His presence mattered. So did the cutting edge at the other end.
Goals from Liam Delap and Igor Jesus delivered a 2-1 victory at Villa Park, a result that underlined Forest’s resilience on a day when Emery’s side finished with ten men after Ian Maatsen went off injured. Under pressure, under-manned, Forest still imposed themselves and extended Glasner’s remarkable run over the Spaniard to six wins.
Eyes already on Coventry
While the win will echo around Nottingham all weekend, Glasner’s gaze has already shifted to the next hurdle.
Forest face Coventry City on September 19 and are braced to be without Milenkovic, who is set for a short spell out.
“Nikola was a bit more serious and will miss the Coventry game. We are hopeful that he will be back after the international break,” Glasner said. “We hope Jair could be back for the Coventry game. But we have to be cautious. Let’s see.”
A coach who keeps telling himself to stay humble now carries a flawless record against one of Europe’s most decorated managers. The question is no longer whether Glasner can keep up with Emery. It’s how far this Forest side can ride his momentum.
