Nottingham Forest: ‘Only way you can beat Man City’ – Glasner reveals formula for shock win

Oliver Glasner did not hide his pride at Nottingham Forest’s performance in the 3-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday at the City Ground, in the 10th round of the Premier League.

After claiming their first home win of the season, the manager highlighted defensive intensity, tactical intelligence and the ability to take advantage of the right moments to attack as decisive factors against a side he considers one of the toughest to face in English football.

‘I think it is the only way you can beat Man City. They’re so good, such great players, such a good structure and they move the ball so quickly. They can play through the middle, they have incredible dribblers on the wing and they have such pace. Then, of course, they have Haaland in the middle,’ Glasner explained.

The Austrian manager stressed that it is not enough to wait for the opponent to retreat or to limit oneself to protecting one’s own area. To compete against a squad with so many attacking alternatives, Forest had to maintain concentration throughout the match and show intensity in their marking, without giving up on attacking when space opened up.

‘You should control everything and if you want to control it, you have to run because you have to be so quickly aware. Of course you can just defend but you also need to go forward and this is what we did today in the right moments, we scored the goals in the right moments and credit again to the players,’ he said.

Forest find the right moments to attack and surprise Manchester City

The strategy paid off at the City Ground. Jair Cunha opened the scoring, and Liam Delap doubled the advantage before Manchester City pulled one back. The striker later scored again, securing the 3-1 win that Forest needed as much for the impact on the table as for the confidence of the squad.

Glasner, however, was keen to remind everyone that a result of this size cannot be treated as predictable against Manchester City. The manager attributed the win to the commitment of the players and the atmosphere created by the supporters over the 90 minutes.

‘You can never plan to win 3-1 against City because they are so good. But today, especially the players and our fans deserve this win because they were so passionate from the first minute, scoring nice goals.’

The support from the stands was also important in the moments when Forest had to resist the pressure from the visitors. For Glasner, the team found strength precisely in the combination of collective work on the pitch and the encouragement received at the City Ground.

‘We had moments to suffer but then we could rely on our fans pushing us, supporting us. Amazing goals and such a great team effort today so really proud.’

Glasner highlights team spirit and best defensive display

Despite his satisfaction with the result, Glasner did not necessarily consider the win to be Nottingham Forest’s best performance with the ball.

The manager acknowledged that his side had little possession and that, in other matches, they have shown more elaborate football. The difference, this time, was the willingness to defend and the ability to execute the plan against a high-level opponent.

‘I think we’ve had better performances in possession because today we rarely had the ball. Regarding the team spirit, the energy, I think it was our best game.’

The Austrian once again highlighted the way Forest behaved without the ball, especially the discipline required to contain Manchester City’s movements. In the manager’s assessment, the combination of passion, organisation and tactical reading allowed the hosts to withstand the moments of pressure and turn their chances into goals.

‘The way we play football I think we’ve had many better games but how we defended, how passionately we defended, how tactically smart we defended, it was one of our better games,’ he concluded.

The win took Forest to nine points in the Premier League and took the team out of the relegation zone, at least provisionally. As well as ending the wait for a first home win of the season, the result represents an important boost for a squad trying to regain ground in the competition. For Glasner, the display against Manchester City showed a possible path: intensity, organisation and efficiency in the decisive moments.