Forest's Glasner says his side are missing 'the final bit'

Nottingham Forest sit in the Premier League relegation zone, the bottom three places, after three straight defeats. They travel to Ipswich Town on Friday looking for a way out.

Manager Oliver Glasner has been candid about the start. "It feels unfair but I don't want to be complaining and feeling as victims," he said at his press conference ahead of the game. He wants his side to look inward, not at bad luck.

The numbers back up the frustration. Forest lost 1-0 to Arsenal in their most recent match. They have yet to score a Premier League goal at the City Ground this season, and they have won only two of their last 17 home league games, dating back to November. Under Glasner they have scored two goals in three league matches. He says the team is missing "the final bit" in goalscoring situations, meaning the last touch or the cool finish that turns chances into goals.

There is a strange side to the story. Forest have won Europa League matches against Ferencvaros, Porto and Aston Villa, even while struggling at home in the league. Five players, Neco Williams, Matz Sels, Dan Ndoye, Murillo and James McAtee, have started every league game so far, so the squad has had few changes to work with.

Glasner joined in the summer after leaving Crystal Palace, where he built a reputation for patience. He won the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Conference League there. Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final to end a 119-year wait for their first major trophy. His own start at Selhurst Park was slow, too. He replaced Roy Hodgson in February 2024 and did not win any of his first eight games in his first full season in charge, yet the team recovered and went on to lift silverware.

That history is why many Forest supporters will hope the slow start is a phase rather than a trend. Ipswich is a chance to change the mood. A win would lift the team out of the bottom three, and a goal would be a first step toward breaking the home drought.

Forest now need to turn their pressure into points. Glasner has said the answer is in the final touch, and Friday's game will show whether it arrives.