Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner faces a defining tactical crossroads at the City Ground, as the Austrian strategist scrambles to fix a glaring goal-scoring crisis by properly unleashing marquee summer signing Liam Delap.
Delap—who arrived in the summer of 2026 amidst high expectations—has endured a deeply frustrating start to life in Nottingham, netting just one goal in seven Premier League appearances while struggling to make a meaningful impact up front.
The striker’s recent performance in the 1-1 draw against his former club Ipswich Town highlighted the problem: Delap spent more time wrestling center-back Dara O’Shea than threatening the penalty box, committing three fouls while failing to register a single shot on target.
Former Premier League striker Glenn Murray publicly criticized Delap’s physical aggression over tactical composure, but a deeper tactical analysis reveals that the fault lies heavily within Glasner’s rigid system rather than the 23-year-old’s individual capability.
The Numbers Behind Delap’s Isolation Under Glasner
To understand why Delap is stalling at Forest, one must examine the explosive version of the striker that terrorized defenses during his breakout 2024/25 campaign at Ipswich, where he scored 12 goals primarily from rapid transition attacks.
At Forest, however, the supply line has completely dried up due to slow build-up play and positional isolation:
- Limited Penalty-Box Touches: Out of Delap’s 18 total shots this season, a staggering nine have come from outside the penalty area, where his finishing efficiency naturally drops.
- Fast-Break Drought: Forest have generated just five total fast-break shot attempts for Delap all season, with only one originating from inside the 18-yard box.
- Lack of Service: Delap has logged 528 minutes with zero assists and just three shots on target, proving how infrequently he receives the ball in high-grade scoring zones.
Much like Jean-Philippe Mateta suffered periodic isolation under Glasner at Crystal Palace, Delap is currently asked to occupy multiple physical center-backs entirely on his own without adequate secondary runners.
Three Tactical Adjustments Glasner Must Make Immediately
If Glasner intends to preserve Forest’s Premier League status and get maximum return on his summer investment, he must adapt his tactical blueprint to play to Delap’s proven strengths:
- Ditch the Rigid Back-Three: Shifting away from a defensive 3-4-2-1 to a dynamic 4-2-3-1 would allow an additional attacking midfielder or natural winger onto the pitch, giving star playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White freedom to operate directly alongside Delap.
- Accelerate Wide Service: Wing-backs Neco Williams and Alex Moreno must whip crosses into the box early before opposing low-blocks settle—a tactic directly responsible for Williams’ goal against Ipswich.
- Unlock Delap’s Playmaking: Delap ranks among the most creative young number nines in English football (boasting 8 key passes and 10 successful dribbles). Providing him with overlapping runners allows him to link play rather than remaining trapped as a static target man.
Don’t Write Off Delap Just Yet
While critics have been quick to question Delap’s £30m price tag during Forest’s slow start to the campaign, writing off the talented England U21 international would be a massive mistake.
If Oliver Glasner accelerates Forest’s transition speed and provides Delap with immediate central support, the power-forward has every quality required to fire the Reds out of the bottom half and solve the club’s goal-scoring woes once and for all.
