Nottingham Forest head into Friday's trip to Ipswich Town sitting in the Premier League's relegation zone after three consecutive defeats — a position few anticipated when Oliver Glasner was appointed in the summer.

Yet despite that bleak opening, belief within the club remains firm. Glasner has made a positive impression through his methods and personality, and the confidence internally is that Forest are still heading in the right direction.

"It feels unfair but I don't want to be complaining and feeling as victims," Glasner said, reflecting a mindset that the Austrian manager is determined to carry forward.

So close, yet so far

Forest have been agonisingly near to better results. They squandered gilt-edged chances before falling to Crystal Palace, then came within a whisker of snatching a point against champions Arsenal last Sunday — a match in which Rory Delap's close-range effort was kept out by Walter Benitez.

Glasner arrived at Forest carrying significant pedigree, having guided Crystal Palace to the FA Cup, Community Shield, and Conference League. He has made no secret of his ambition, describing owner Evangelos Marinakis as the only person he has ever met who matches his own drive.

The 52-year-old has also acknowledged that slow starts are not new to him. At Crystal Palace, he won just one of his opening six games after replacing Roy Hodgson in February 2024, and did not win any of his first eight matches in the Eagles' 2024-25 campaign — a season that ultimately ended in FA Cup glory against Manchester City, ending a 119-year wait for a major trophy.

A worrying conversion problem

Forest's most pressing concern is their failure to convert chances. They have yet to score at the City Ground in the Premier League this season and have gone eight hours and 26 minutes without a home goal. In 2026, they have scored just eight league goals at home, four of which came against Burnley.

Overall, Forest have scored five times this season but carry a -6.20 xG — the worst figure in the division. Despite generating 120 shots, the third-highest total in the Premier League behind Manchester United (138) and Brighton (125), only 25 have been on target. That translates to a conversion rate of just 4.17%, the lowest in the top flight.

"Every team in the Premier League has the quality to come back into a game to score a goal," Glasner said. "When you play the champions, you don't have seven, eight or nine moments like we had at Palace. You have two or three or four, and if you don't take it, you have always the chance to lose the game."

Consistency taking shape

A settled line-up is beginning to emerge, with Neco Williams, Matz Sels, Dan Ndoye, Murillo, and James McAtee starting every league fixture. Morgan Gibbs-White would have been part of that group but for a muscle injury sustained ahead of the Arsenal game.

By contrast, club captain Ryan Yates has not played a single minute, Ibrahim Sangare — who signed a new three-year contract in the summer — has managed only one start, and Callum Hudson-Odoi has seen limited game time. Ola Aina has lost his place to new wing-back Daniel Munoz.

Defender Murillo, speaking after the 1-0 defeat by Arsenal, urged patience. "We have a good manager and I think we are still getting his ideas," he said. "We changed everything in our system this season. It is difficult but after three or four months we keep improving and I think we are close to reaching our best."

Glasner himself struck a defiant tone. "We are the only ones who can change it," he said. "I'm very convinced that we will do this because I know the players and all the character of the players — then we will get these scores, we will get the results."