Xaver Schlager has been quietly impressive for Nottingham Forest this season but what was missing was that big moment. It came in the 3-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday when he dispossessed Elliot Anderson for Liam Delap's first goal. The free transfer from Leipzig nipped in ahead of the £116m man that he has replaced in Forest's midfield and set Delap on the way to doubling the lead.
Schlager is no Anderson but he has his own qualities and they made the difference at the weekend. "It was a top team performance and it was a top performance by Xaver Schlager," said Forest boss Oliver Glasner in the press conference afterwards. He pointed out that "it must have been a fantastic performance" because City's midfielders are world-class.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Schlager was better. "He is so smart, anticipating and getting balls, one of the most for interceptions in the league. And he was physically so strong in his 50-50 balls.
He always stayed on his feet and won these balls, because he can then play forward." In fact, despite only coming on as a late substitute in Forest's opening defeat at home to Leeds, Schlager has made more tackles than any other player in the Premier League this season. It is a good illustration of the combative style that is his trademark. Not every supporter has been enamoured by Schlager and perhaps that is inevitable given the team's underwhelming start to the season.
When searching for explanations, new arrivals come under scrutiny and the 29-year-old Austrian is not one for the future. But he has had a fine career. Before Leipzig, he worked with Glasner at Wolfsburg, having emerged at Red Bull Salzburg before that.
Oscar Garcia spotted him in their feeder team Liefering, another of Glasner's former clubs, and gave him his senior debut. "He had very good potential," Oscar tells Sky Sports. "Some players in midfield left and we wanted to give him the chance to play.
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