Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner has praised Ola Aina after the Nigeria international stepped into an unfamiliar defensive role during Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Aina was asked to play at the heart of Forest’s defence after injuries ruled out two of the club’s regular centre-backs. Despite the late change, the 30-year-old produced a composed performance as Forest secured an important away win.
He made three tackles, one interception and four clearances in a closely contested match.
Glasner reveals late defensive change
Glasner said he only had confirmation that both centre-backs would be unavailable after receiving the results of their scans on Friday evening.
“The circumstances we had yesterday, it was in the evening that I got the results of the scans and, all of a sudden, both centre-backs couldn’t play,” Glasner told Forest TV.
The Forest head coach then approached Aina and Ousmane to explain that they would be required to start in a back three.
“I knocked on Ola and Ousmane’s door and told them that they would start tomorrow in a back three,” he said.
Glasner said he had been particularly keen to establish whether Aina was comfortable taking on the responsibility of playing in an unfamiliar position.
The defender responded positively and adapted effectively as Forest overcame the disruption to their team selection.
“Especially with Ola, I had to ask him if he could imagine that this could work, and he said he could, and I knew he could,” Glasner added.
The victory reflected Forest’s ability to deal with several difficulties before and during the match, according to their head coach.
“There are many challenges we have to overcome today, that’s why I am really proud of the performance and the win,” he said.