When Oliver Glasner moved to Nottingham Forest after departing Crystal Palace, he tasked himself with replicating the 3-4-2-1 system that worked so well at Selhurst Park. A key part of that set-up are the two central midfielders. "We call them the quarterbacks," said Glasner last season and at Palace.
The Austrian had the perfect quarterback in Adam Wharton. Defensively astute but also influential and creative in attack. As well as finding the Forest version of Wharton, he also had to replace the Man City-bound Elliot Anderson - heartbeat of the team - in that same area of the pitch.
But nobody expected the solution to both these problems to be James McAtee. Just a few months ago, McAtee was a forgotten man at Forest. Following his £30m move from Man City, he started just two Premier League games last term.
All four Forest managers never gave him a real chance. Glasner has found a role for him at the City Ground - but it has needed a change in position to do it. McAtee, who came through the ranks with City and England as an attacking No 10, has been told to play much, much deeper in this Glasner team.
It is a major change from what McAtee is used to. But even the great Pep Guardiola noticed how good he is in tighter spaces. "Pep always references how good he is in pockets," said Brian Barry-Murphy to Sky Sports in 2024.
Barry-Murphy was one of McAtee's coaches in the Manchester City academy set-up, and is now in charge at Cardiff City. "What's the most significant thing about James McAtee?" he adds. "The tighter the spaces, the more at home and comfortable he is.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
