This is it, then. This is the big one. Whichever way you look at it, however many times Oliver Glasner claims it is just another game, everyone at Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest knows it is anything but.
Consider what has happened since Forest were elevated to the Europa League at Palace’s expense a little more than a year ago.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is suing Palace at the High Court following a controversial banner displayed at Selhurst Park when the clubs met in the Premier League last August.
Glasner was Palace’s manager for that game and returns to south London in charge of Forest. Daniel Munoz is another former Palace star now wearing Forest red.
It was bad enough for Palace to lose the most successful manager in their history. To have him turn up at the City Ground felt like twisting the knife. From the pitch to the dugouts, from the boardroom to the stands, the atmosphere will be charged.
Daily Mail Sport looks at Glasner’s impact at Forest and how they are preparing for Sunday’s Selhurst showdown.
It was bad enough for Palace to lose the most successful manager in their history, but for Oliver Glasner to then turn up at the City Ground felt like twisting the knife
Preparations
Like every other Premier League manager, Glasner has been managing a tricky conclusion to the international break.
Some, like Ola Aina, returned at the start of the week. Morgan Gibbs-White was due back from England duty on Thursday with Munoz not due back in Nottingham from Colombia until Friday morning. Because of that, the wing-back may not start at Selhurst.
Glasner gave everyone the first week of the break off and has been working with only 11 senior players since he returned. He also led a session at the training ground for local children and grassroots coaches as Forest try to strengthen links with the local community.
Forest are also thought to have worked diligently on providing Liam Delap with quick service and encouraging the centre-forward to transfer the ball wide. That looks like a clear line of attack against Glasner’s former club.
Since he signed his three-year deal on July 6, the Austrian’s attention to detail has impressed everyone. Glasner is said to be more businesslike and more focused on discipline than his predecessor, Vitor Pereira, who created a relaxed, family atmosphere from the wreckage of the Sean Dyche era. Glasner leads the training sessions, which are longer than before. Defensive shape and quick transitions feature heavily.
The training ground is much better than when Forest were promoted four-and-a-half years ago. Inside the new first-team building, a players’ area looks out on to six pitches.
When Daily Mail Sport visited on Wednesday, James McAtee was one of the last players to finish, having just completed an accuracy drill. McAtee has been the big winner under Glasner, who loves the midfielder’s talent and attitude.
The players’ space resembles the lobby of an upmarket hotel and has a pool table and dart board. There are even three hairdresser-style chairs and mirrors. On Wednesday, it was a Brazilian theme in the canteen, with forward Igor Jesus asked to taste-test various dishes. It now falls to Glasner to find the right recipe against his old club.
Forest are also thought to have worked diligently on providing Liam Delap with quick service ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park this weekend
James McAtee has been the big winner under Glasner, who loves the midfielder’s talent and attitude
Selhurst reception
Glasner quoted Goethe’s Faust to describe his emotions ahead of this momentous occasion. ‘Two hearts are beating in my chest,’ he said. ‘I wish that everyone should support their team. Palace fans should support Palace, the Forest fans will support us.
‘And then, when they look back on these two years when Oliver Glasner was the manager, they say, “OK, we had some great moments together, where I was proud being a Crystal Palace fan”. That’s it for me and this is what I hope.’
There was certainly more than one raised eyebrow among the Palace hierarchy when Glasner chose to join Forest, given the history between the clubs. Yet Palace chairman Steve Parish moved to calm the waters this week, saying he and Glasner were still friends and urging supporters to give the former boss a rousing reception.
After all, the 52-year-old delivered the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League in the space of 12 months to a club who had never won a major trophy before.
And ultimately, Glasner is a worker like any other – albeit a very wealthy one. He had an existing relationship with Forest’s chief football officer George Syrianos, who had recommended him to Marinakis more than once.
The club chased Glasner doggedly through the summer and promised to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the Premier League. Given the talent in the squad and the ambition of the ownership, it was a difficult role to turn down.
The relationship between the clubs is a little more complicated. The banner that sparked the legal action depicted Marinakis holding a gun to the head of Gibbs-White and carried the words ‘Mr Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking or corruption.’ Marinakis has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to such allegations.
By any measure, Glasner deserves a hero’s welcome. Yet football is rarely logical and though there will be plenty of Palace fans who give him the reception he merits, there will be surely those who feel a little less charitable.
Glasner delivered the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League in the space of 12 months to a club who had never won a major trophy before
By any measure, Glasner deserves a hero’s welcome. Though there will be plenty of Palace fans who give him the reception he merits, there will be those who feel a little less charitable
The banner held up by the Palace fans when the two clubs met last August
Targets
Forest have hired Glasner to win trophies. Delivering three at Palace was a stunning effort and at a club of similar dimension, the hierarchy believe he can do the same.
They are already out of the Carabao Cup so depending on the league position, we can expect Forest to attack the FA Cup.
Marinakis wants to be back in Europe as quickly as possible and given the strength of some of England’s wealthiest clubs, a good cup run might be more realistic than a top-six finish. At Palace, Glasner guided the team to 10th, 12th and 15th.
He will need time and at this stage, Marinakis and his allies are prepared to grant it. They delivered three of Glasner’s top targets – Delap, Munoz and Ousmane Diomande – and are prepared to back him again in January. They appreciate that his 3-4-2-1 system is new to the players and needs fine-tuning. It may even be a year before Glasner has the team he wants.
They know that Glasner has started relatively slowly at all his previous clubs and accept there may be teething issues – such as the 1-0 home defeat by Coventry before the international break.
Glasner’s rapport with Gibbs-White will be crucial. It would be no surprise to see the 26-year-old leave Forest at the end of the campaign yet at least he can now see that playing at the City Ground does not wreck his England chances.
Though he did not start in the recent international window, Gibbs-White collected his 10th cap as a second-half substitute in the 3-0 win over the Czech Republic, having been a late call-up following Cole Palmer’s injury.
delivered three of Glasner’s top targets – Delap, Munoz (right) and Ousmane Diomande – and are prepared to back him again in January
Glasner managed flair players like Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze expertly at Palace and Morgan Gibbs-White (left) is said to be confident Glasner can take his game to another level
The Forest skipper usually gives his best when given licence to roam, which Glasner’s strict tactical framework rarely offers.
Yet Glasner managed flair players like Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze expertly at Palace and Gibbs-White is said to be confident Glasner can take his game to another level.
Last season Gibbs-White found his best when Forest needed him, producing 18 goals and seven assists. Though he has not shone as brightly this term, he still has a goal and two assists.
If he can add to that total on Sunday, it would surely provide lift-off for the Glasner regime.
