In Germany, there is a frequently used phrase: “Wenn du aufhorst zu lernen, fangst du an zu sterben”. Roughly translated, it means: “Once you stop learning, you start dying”.
The quote, widely attributed to Albert Einstein albeit without any solid evidence, is one that Oliver Glasner is particularly fond of.
The Nottingham Forest head coach often uses it with his players as he urges them to keep progressing on a daily basis.
And it is one that he turns to when asked specifically about his regular captain, Morgan Gibbs-White, and whether there is still more improvement to come from Forest’s star attacking midfielder.
“I don’t know any player who cannot get better,” said Glasner in a recent press conference.
Back in the summer, following the Austrian’s appointment, he regarded the club’s determination to keep hold of their better players — the likes of Gibbs-White, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Neco Williams, among others — as being as important as any new signing.
There was a reluctant acceptance that Elliot Anderson would depart, as he joined Manchester City in a record £116million deal, but, beyond that, Glasner knew he could build a team around those who remained. And, in his eyes, there would be nobody more important than Gibbs-White.
The former Wolves man scored 15 precious goals in the Premier League last season — nine more than any other Forest player — as the club plotted a course to survival through the chaos of four different managers.
As he laid out his plans in Portugal, Glasner spoke freely about how, while there was a crucial need to ensure others chipped in with goals and creativity, Gibbs-White would remain a focal point of his side.
Morgan Gibbs-White has only scored one goal for Nottingham Forest so far this season (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
And he has. No other player in the Premier League has created more big chances than Gibbs-White (seven), while he is second behind Brighton’s Pascal Gross (23) when it comes to chances created (20 for Gibbs-White). The Forest man created 49 chances throughout the whole of last season.
His 0.27 expected assists per 90 (only Alex Iwobi has more at 0.35 among players with 500-plus mins) is double the 0.11 per 90 he managed across last season. If anything, his creativity has improved under Glasner.
But there are another set of numbers that slightly undermine those figures: Gibbs-White has so far scored one goal in those eight games, while contributing two assists.
In August’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, Gibbs-White set up the goal for Dan Ndoye before scoring himself from the penalty spot. And in September’s memorable 2-1 win at Aston Villa, Gibbs-White claimed an assist for Igor Jesus’s winner.
Glasner’s sides have historically played with two No 10-style players within his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation. One is often a converted winger; somebody who can carry the ball with speed and purpose — a Ndoye or a Callum Hudson-Odoi. The other is normally a creative force or a deeper-lying forward.
In the summer, Glasner spoke of his belief that those two No 10s could and should challenge to be the team’s top scorers. Ndoye currently tops that list, albeit with a modest two goals. The end product has not quite arrived for Gibbs-White — but Glasner is convinced that it will.
“I have told him. It is sometimes felt that the new system does not get the best out of him — but it is the complete opposite. He can be a better Morgan Gibbs-White than he was last season, even,” said Glasner in his pre-match press conference. “It is just that when you create the chances, you need the ones who convert them to do so.
“Against Tottenham, he was twice one-v-one with the keeper. He had a big chance at both Ipswich and at Palace. He gets chances himself and he creates a lot. We will help him to be even better. He always has a great effort and he is always a crucial player.”
As the touch maps above demonstrate, the 26-year-old is now getting a higher percentage of touches on the right side, away from the central areas in which he would so often do damage last season. Yet Glasner believes Gibbs-White has already proved that can have an impact, without playing as an orthodox No 10.
“It is not that he has had to adapt,” says the Forest head coach.” It is more in the mind of a player. At the end of last season, when he scored many of his goals, he was playing almost as an inverted left winger,” said Glasner. “Now you might call his current role a half 10… but to me, it is the exact same position.
“He has complete freedom over where to move. He can play off the flank. He can overload. He has all the freedom in the attack. We all count on his creativity to find the space; to find the gaps and arrive in dangerous areas. He can see the spare player.
“We see potential in his positioning, particularly out of possession. He can get into better situations. He will have a great season.”
One knock-on effect in Gibbs-White’s new role seems to have been the areas from which he is shooting. Gibbs-White’s 1.9 shots per 90 is his joint-lowest since joining Forest — he is shooting further away from goal than last season by distance (17.6 yards vs 15.5 yards) and more from the right side of the box than the centre, like in the previous two seasons, which means the quality of shots and chances of scoring are both reduced.
In a way, Gibbs-White’s personal situation is a reflection of that of the Forest team as a whole: While they continue to play well, the end product is often missing.
After last week’s 1-1 draw at Ipswich, Forest briefly sat at the top of the expected points table, ahead of title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal. But, as they prepare for a challenging game at Brentford on Saturday, their expected points tally of 14 is not matched by their actual points tally, which stands at just six.
Yet there remains a sense that, again like the team in general, things must be close to falling into place for Gibbs-White and more broadly for the team.
Gibbs-White will also have personal motivation for wanting to propel Forest back up the table as he looks to ensure he remains part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans with England.
Gibbs-White was only called into the last international squad after a string of players withdrew from Tuchel’s squad and managed to take his tally to 10 caps — which have all come off the bench — with another four sub appearances during the last international break.
The Forest man’s status as one of the most creative figures in the Premier League must still count for something. It would probably count for more, if he and his team-mates could find a way to put a few more of the chances they create in the back of the net.
