Oliver Glasner has reflected on his Nottingham Forest side's first pre-season outing playing in a three-back system.
At his unveiling on Thursday, new Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner insisted he had not settled on the shape his side will play in, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
By Saturday, at Meadow Lane, Forest were already set up in the three-at-the-back system that has become synonymous with the Austrian.
It is the first sign of the new era that has dawned at Nottingham Forest, with change inevitable as Glasner looks to steer Forest towards the kind of success, both domestically and in Europe, that he is now renowned for.
But unlike previous regimes, however short-lived they may have been, Glasner sought to avoid over-promising on imminent glory.
Instead, he insisted that he and his staff will give everything in pursuit of consistency, which will ultimately translate into success if “the ingredients” are right.
It was a dose of realism that felt both needed and welcome after a season of such turbulence.
At Meadow Lane, there were positive signs, but it was clear, as is to be expected, that patience will be paramount after Glasner’s admission that such significant change could take “three to six months” for players to adapt to.
Two XI’s featured against Notts County, as Forest ran out 2-0 victors, courtesy of a goal in each half, and Glasner’s impression on the team was clear.
Setting up both halves in Glasner’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, it was vastly different to what we became accustomed to for most of last season.
There was a lot to like about how Forest operated in the new-look system, but Glasner reiterated that there is a long way to go, and hinted once more that the current shape may not be in its final form.
“They did it well in many, many moments,” he praised. “But I saw a few times that we followed our man, and we don’t want to play man-to-man defence with a different structure.
“But yes, they adapted well. Sometimes I could see the opposite side did not protect the depth how we want them to protect, but we got a lot of good clips to show them.
“And on the other side, we can see that if we do it well and are aggressive, especially out of possession, it then helps us in possession.
“When they press us man-to-man, we have to press with three; we should then create space in behind, so we want to be flexible.
“It’s now about getting the information so that we can play our most suitable system.”
The Austrian head coach will have plenty of time to get his newly inherited squad up to date, with Forest set for seven more pre-season friendlies before kicking off their Premier League campaign against Leeds United next month.
Forest will jet off early next week for a warm-weather training camp in Portugal, where they will face three more opponents.
