Nottingham Forest’s season hit another alarming snag at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon as Oliver Glasner’s return to his former stomping ground turned into a complete nightmare in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Despite Dan Ndoye handing the Reds a lightning-fast lead inside three minutes, Forest completely lost control of the contest. Goals from Daichi Kamada, a deeply contentious effort from Jefferson Lerma, and a late strike by Yeremy Pino sentenced Glasner’s side to back-to-back Premier League defeats—slumping to a disappointing 14th place in the top-flight table.
With a daunting home clash against title-chasing Arsenal looming at the City Ground on Sunday, 18 October, Glasner cannot afford to stand idle. To restore tactical discipline and avoid three straight defeats, three underperforming stars must be dropped from the starting lineup immediately.
1. Liam Delap: Out of His Depth and Under Fire
Despite showing flashes of brilliance early in his Forest career, summer signing Liam Delap endured a miserable afternoon in South London. Isolated, immobile, and starved of service as a single striker, Delap looked completely lost before being substituted in the 72nd minute.
His replacement, veteran marksman Chris Wood, offered an instant focal point and missed a golden chance to alter the game’s momentum. Against an imposing Arsenal backline featuring William Saliba and Gabriel, Delap’s raw physical approach will simply not cut it. Wood’s aerial presence, hold-up play, and proven Premier League pedigree make his return to the starting XI an absolute necessity.
2. Xaver Schlager: Overwhelmed in Midfield
Midfield general Xaver Schlager has adapted well to English football overall, but his performance at Selhurst Park was arguably his worst in a Forest shirt. The Austrian international looked entirely out of his depth against Palace’s hard-pressing engine room, repeatedly turning over possession and failing to track runners during transition phases.
Glasner recognized the issue mid-game, replacing Schlager with Ibrahim Sangaré in the 66th minute. Sangaré immediately provided physical anchor qualities and secondary defensive cover. Restoring Sangaré to the base of the midfield alongside Ryan Yates is the only way Forest can hope to contain Arsenal’s fluid central attacks.
3. Daniel Muñoz: The Defensive Weak Link
Defensive wing-back Daniel Muñoz entered Sunday’s fixture facing intense fan scrutiny, and his display against Palace only validated growing concerns. Operating down the right flank, Muñoz was repeatedly exposed in 1v1 situations, with Palace directing the bulk of their offensive traffic directly at his side.
With Arsenal boasting lethal wide threats like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, continuing with Muñoz down the right flank would be tactical suicide. Glasner must make a bold, decisive change at wing-back to lock down the flanks before the Gunners arrive in Nottingham.
A High-Stakes Test at the City Ground
Forest’s early-season momentum has evaporated, and confidence inside the dressing room is wavering at the worst possible moment. If Oliver Glasner wants to stop the rot and engineer a massive upset against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, he must show ruthless decision-making and swing the axe on these three underperforming stars.
