Brentford’s 3-0 win lifted them to sixth, but the story for FPL managers is how little went right for Nottingham Forest despite their chances. Oliver Glasner has seen enough after four defeats in five: he says he’ll make changes, though it’s not yet clear who will pay the price.
## Forest’s wastefulness keeps costing them
Forest had more shots, 16 to Brentford’s seven, and edged the expected goals in a tight, scrappy game. The numbers suggest they did enough to take something from it. They didn’t.
Brentford’s clearest early openings came from an Igor Thiago (£7.8m) shot from the edge of the box and a Mathias Jensen (£5.4m) free-kick that struck the crossbar. Forest otherwise kept them quiet. Two Nikola Milenkovic (£5.4m) deflections proved decisive: one sent a Dango Ouattara (£6.2m) cross beyond Mats Sels (£5.0m), and the other redirected a Thiago effort that Sels might have stopped.
Forest had openings of their own. Ryan Yates missed a free header created by Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.9m), whose recent creative output has been wasted at an alarming rate: 19 of his last 20 chances created, including six of seven big chances, have gone without a goal. James McAtee (£5.5m) curled narrowly wide, while Liam Delap (£5.4m) put the best of his three chances over the bar.
That’s the frustration for Forest: they weren’t simply outplayed. They defended reasonably well and generated chances, but their finishing and a couple of costly deflections turned a close contest into another defeat.
## Glasner says the compromises are over
Glasner could point to Forest’s misfortune, but he chose to focus on a wider pattern. After the match, he called the results unacceptable and said he would change things.
> “We have to accept it’s not good enough. If you lose four of the last five games, it’s not good enough, and that is why it’s now time that we change things, that I change things, and that’s what I will do.
>
> “Again, if you always make some mistakes or the same mistakes in defence, if you are, in too many games, you are not able to convert the chances you have, then we have to admit right now It’s not good enough.” — Oliver Glasner
Asked whether that meant changing the system, personnel or approach, he answered: “Everywhere.” He said he’d made too many compromises and would set out clearly what he expected. If players bought in, he believed Forest could turn things around; if they didn’t, he warned, “the sixth manager will come in.”
Glasner also said the team lacked awareness on the long ball that led to Brentford’s opener, which he described as the fourth goal Forest had conceded that way. He insisted effort wasn’t the issue, but said Forest were being outrun in every game. If the club couldn’t change that, he said, it would need a different manager.
The substitutions offer some clues, but not a verdict. Xaver Schlager (£5.0m) and Ola Aina (£4.3m), just back in the side, were both withdrawn at half-time. Delap and Dan Ndoye (£5.5m) came off midway through the second half. Milenkovic had a difficult week, too. McAtee was the only player Glasner singled out for praise, and both he and Gibbs-White played the full match.
## Munoz missed out through injury
Daniel Munoz (£5.3m) was left on the bench, reportedly for fitness reasons rather than form. Before kick-off, Glasner said the Colombian had foot pain and had missed some training sessions the previous week. [His comments were reported by Ben Dinnery](https://x.com/BenDinnery/status/2116537506975953211).
## Sangare’s minutes remain a concern
Mamadou Sangare (£5.4m) was taken off just after reaching the hour, having played no more than 45 minutes in half of his previous eight appearances. He’d secured a clean-sheet point but finished two contributions short of DefCon points.
The early withdrawal looks harsh on the evidence of this game: Sangare had worked well in midfield and nearly scored. Brentford manager Keith Andrews said the team had lost its rhythm after the break and that Aaron Hickey (£4.5m) brought more solidity when he replaced him. Hickey then helped launch the move for the second goal, releasing Jaidon Anthony (£5.9m) down the right.
> “Second half, we didn’t really find that rhythm to how we were playing. We lost that and I thought the way the subs impacted it [was positive]. Second goal, was a really nice example of what that was.
>
> “We speak about impact from the bench a lot, and we’ve got really good options from there. I just felt it was right for Aaron Hickey to come on in midfield and give us a little bit of solidity. Technically, he’s as good a player as you’re going to get.” — Keith Andrews
Sangare’s place is under more pressure with Yehor Yarmolyuk (£4.7m) available again next weekend after a three-match ban. Vitaly Janelt (£5.0m), now on 10 DefCon points this season, remains the safer Brentford midfield option, though he is one booking away from suspension.
## Thiago keeps returning, but the doubts remain
Thiago has returned points in five consecutive Gameweeks, with his 76th-minute goal extending that run. Include the previous week’s EFL Cup match and it’s six returns in six games. His finishing hasn’t been especially persuasive: Saturday’s effort took a deflection, and his goal the previous Wednesday should have been saved. Andrews, however, remains firmly behind him.
> “The way he plays the game epitomises the way I want our team to look and feel, every minute of every game. He naturally puts a little bit more pressure on himself than anybody else to get goals, but five goal contributions in six games — what’s everyone gone on about?! He set the bar so high last year. He’s an amazing human being, as you know. Yeah, he’s in a good place.” — Keith Andrews
For FPL managers, the immediate schedule and Thiago’s four yellow cards make him a less obvious target. If he serves what looks like a likely suspension by Gameweek 15, the fixtures improve after that. Brentford are out of the EFL Cup and aren’t playing in Europe, which could also help Thiago collect more minutes over December and New Year.
Brentford’s defence had its bright spots: Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) and Sepp van den Berg (£4.9m) both played well. Ajer added more DefCon points and sits just outside the top 10 FPL defenders this season. Kevin Schade (£6.2m) worked hard but offered little going forward, with no shots or chances created. For the first time in a year, he had more touches in his own half than in the opposition’s.
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