Oliver Glasner's Resilient Win Over Unai Emery at Villa Park
Oliver Glasner walked out of Villa Park on Saturday with another win, another reminder of his growing grip on Unai Emery – and the same mantra echoing in his head.
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 quietly staggering record against one of Europe’s most decorated coaches.
Glasner made sure nobody forgot where the real silverware sits.
“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 was shredded late on Friday night.
Two key defenders gone in an instant.
Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha both pulled up with hamstring problems in the final training session, leaving Glasner to rip up his plans and start again with the clock ticking.
“It was 9.30pm when we got the result of scans that told us that Jair Cunha and Nikola could not play,” he explained. “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.”
He could. And Forest did.
Glasner’s reshuffled side not only coped, they imposed themselves. The Austrian was clear where his pride truly lay.
“We are pleased with the win, but much more pleased with the performance and most pleased with the resilience showed today,” he said.
Murillo’s stand and a statement win
The injuries did not stop with the two late withdrawals. Even those who made it onto the pitch were patched up.
At the heart of it all stood Murillo. The Brazilian defender carried knee pain into the game but refused to step aside at a time when Forest’s defensive options were already stretched thin.
“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.
That attitude underpinned a gritty 2-1 victory at Villa Park. Liam Delap and Igor Jesus found the goals that mattered, punishing a Villa side that finished with ten men after Ian Maatsen went off injured. On a day when Forest’s back line could easily have buckled, it held firm enough to deliver Glasner his sixth win over Emery.
Eyes already on Coventry
Forest will enjoy this one. The fans earned that “lovely Saturday evening” their head coach promised them. But the medical room will be busy.
Milenkovic is already ruled out of the club’s next outing, away to Coventry City on September 19, and faces a short spell on the sidelines.
“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 remarkable record against Emery is now etched into Glasner’s story. The question is how far this Forest side, built on resilience, painkillers and late-night knocks on hotel doors, can push that narrative across the rest of the season.
