Oliver Glasner Says he Finds Perspective in High-Pressure Moments

Sat alone in his office 45 minutes before kick-off, all Oliver Glasner can do is ponder what might be.

Whether it is a European final, of which he has won two, an FA Cup final, or a generic league game, the feeling is the same.

That is the same pressure that Glasner will feel when he takes charge of his first competitive Nottingham Forest game, at home to Leeds United next month.

He spoke about the difficulty of those moments, but how he must also accept them hand-in-hand with the positive side of being a manager, given the career is his choice.

“It sometimes feels like a thrill. You don’t really like it, but you get addicted to it,” Glasner admitted.

“For me, personally, the worst time is the last 45 minutes before a game, because the players and my staff are leaving to warm up, all the interviews are done, and I’m sat in my office, and there are so many question marks.

“How did I get the players before? Was the preparation done in the right way? Does this work? Set plays, does that work? There are so many questions and no answers.

“As you know, when you have many question marks and no answers, it is the worst situation. And I’m alone at that time.

“When the players come back in, it feels better. I can talk to somebody and to my staff.

“When the referee whistles to start the game, everything is calm, and I’m completely focused on the game.

“Nobody forced me to be a manager and to do this job. If you decide to become a football manager, especially in the Premier League, you have to deal with pressure; it’s just part of the job.

“When you become a waiter, you have to deal with your guests. If you don’t like to talk to them, don’t become a waiter. And here it's the same; it’s a part of the job.”

But in those moments, when the weight of expectation and loneliness combine, Glasner says that perspective helps to keep him calm.

It is a message that the Austrian head coach says he shares often with his players and staff, and is something his new Forest squad will need to learn quickly, if they are not already conscious of it.

“Of course everyone wants to win, because then you have a better feeling and you feel less pressure, but on the other side, I think we can all deal with it [pressure] very well.

“I will tell the players a few times that they all live in our childhood dream, so you cannot forget this.

“I watched yesterday’s game [England versus Argentina], and there was a young girl before the referee entered the pitch. I was watching the game with my staff, and I said, ‘See, it must be one of the best moments for this kid, and if you ask them, ‘Would you like to play in the semi-final of the World Cup?’ Everybody would say ‘Yes, this is my dream’.

“But then when you play it, you feel the pressure and say ‘Oh, I have to win’; it’s a weird situation.

“That’s why I always think we’re living our dream.”