Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner has cautioned that his team won't be at their peak fitness for the Premier League opener against Leeds United.
The Austrian coach spoke to Sky Austria following a 2-1 friendly victory over Bayer Leverkusen, discussing the current state of his squad. Glasner took charge at the City Ground in early July, having left Crystal Palace amidst a tumultuous season that saw the club part ways with four different managers.
Glasner said:
We have undergone a crazy intense preparation aimed at getting into shape. We start straight away with two matches a week: on Saturday, we face Leeds in the Premier League, and then on Tuesday, we have a League Cup game at the City Ground.
We have a lot of work to do at home. Without wanting to sugarcoat things, I must say that, in the beginning, we won't be at our best. We would be magicians to achieve that in five to six weeks, especially with some players only joining us a week or two ago.
He also highlighted that his staff essentially had to start from scratch:
A great deal lies ahead: getting to know a lot of people, discussing transfers, and so on. But yes, it is enjoyable. Everyone is pulling in the same direction. It is crucial to stabilise Nottingham.
In essence, we had to start from zero and reset everything. We’ve done that and I'm very pleased with the progress. We are looking forward to the start of the season.
Following the matches against Leeds and their League Cup clash, the Tricky Trees will visit Anfield to take on Liverpool.
