Chris Wood was one of many Nottingham Forest players to fluff his lines in the 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend.

Oliver Glasner cleared Liam Delap of blame, but both strikers, Morgan Gibbs-White and Dan Ndoye, were all guilty of missing chances last week at Selhurst Park.

Wood has been considered a backup option so far under Glasner. At 34, he will understand that his role is now slightly different, but he does remain a leader inside the dressing room.

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This week, Glasner and his players have done a lot of preparation for today’s visit of Arsenal. It’s clear from what the head coach has said that Wood has been a big part of things during this week’s training, with the New Zealand star sending a message to his teammates.

What Chris Wood has told the Nottingham Forest squad

Glasner has leaned on Wood this week in training to get a message across to the squad regarding the number of chances that Forest continue to miss during matches.

The Reds need to start hitting the back of the net if they’re to avoid the 2026/27 campaign becoming a real struggle once again and Glasner told the press on Friday what Wood has said to the squad.

Forest’s head coach said: “Today, the main topic was finishing in training. Before the training, I told the players what we’re going to do and then I said the one who can explain it best how to deal with this situation is Chris Wood.

“Overall, he’s scored around 200 goals in English football, and he had to deal with these situations. His message was to always be confident, never lose trust in yourself, and there’s always another one just around the corner.

“That’s exactly how it is. I could see the players start to smile, and that’s how you best deal with it.”

Wood will probably be on the bench again for the visit from Arsenal, but the hope will be that his words can be ringing in the ears of his teammates when today’s game gets underway.

Forest have to find the way to goal soon. The Reds could end the day in the bottom three if they fail to beat the Gunners, and that would really set alarm bells ringing for Glasner.