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Ange Postecoglou Secure - For Now

Starting from 9am this morning, Nottingham Forest were not intending to fire their manager but the unpredictable nature of the team and its proprietor Evangelos Marinakis means that circumstances may shift rapidly.

The fans made their voices known on the previous day, demanding the exit of the man who replaced an East Midlands hero and it is challenging to reverse the sentiment once that occurs.

Postecoglou is Marinakis’ man, the owner having selected him well ahead of the previous manager was sent packing. All involved with the club anticipated a period of transition but to be without a victory in six games and suffering defeats at their own ground to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he arrived last month.

Postecoglou was always going to change the style but he has his way of playing, which is distinctly unlike to his predecessor, so there is an understanding that adjustments require patience. Tolerance, however, is not a quality often seen at Forest. The next three Premier League games are against tough opponents, so the challenge will intensify for Postecoglou.

Alisson Out for The Reds

Arne Slot has been speaking:

“The goalkeeper is absent from the team this weekend and he will not go to Brazil for the international duty. The forward is returning to training this afternoon, we will assess where he is. The applies similarly for Frederico [Chiesa]. It depends on how fast the recovery goes.

“I will be surprised if he the keeper returns for the initial match after the national team pause. From there on progress may be a bit quicker or a bit more gradual. It’s difficult to say. I’m not a doctor so I cannot tell you if it is the same injury.”

The backup keeper is set to start instead of Alisson.

“I believe we’ve observed against Southampton how well he’s adjusted. We knew we were bringing in a high-quality goalkeeper. When he plays his first game that’s a way of seeing he’s adapted excellently to our club. It’s not a surprise because he’s a skilled player. Now he can perform the role we’ve needed to accomplish so many times in the past replacing Alisson, like we’ve handled previously.”

Weekend Matches

• Tonight
• Bournemouth v Fulham (8pm)
• Tomorrow
• Leeds v Tottenham
• Gunners take on Hammers
• Manchester United v Sunderland
• Blues clash with Reds
• Day after
• Villa play Burnley
• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
• Wolves battle Seagulls
• Toffees vs Eagles
• Brentford v Manchester City

Continental Results

It was a good night for the other English clubs in continental competitions. And a bad night for the Scottish clubs.

Crystal Palace prolonged their winning streak as their manager gets continental campaign to strong beginning.

Europa League summary: Aston Villa star secures Villa win as Rangers and Celtic lose.

Supporters' Response at City Ground

The scenes were close to extraordinary on a sobering evening, many local fans chanting: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the supporters twisted the knife, voicing the name of his predecessor Nuno Espírito Santo, with several turning towards Evangelos Marinakis watching on with his own giant private television in the executive area. This made for a dismal spectacle.

Weekend Lookahead

Without a loss in the league since their Friday night opener, Bournemouth early momentum has been halted by back-to-back ties: at their stadium to the Magpies and at Leeds recently. Fulham travel to the Vitality on tonight, offering Bournemouth a presentable chance of returning to victory and going second. After a hectic off-season, Iraola has aimed for consistency in his team selection.

Trailing 2-1 at their opponents, the coach made a triple change to restore three usual starters – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his XI and was compensated with a equalizing goal. Bournemouth have also maintained solidity at the back, allowing only one goal in four games between the away games to strong opponents. Marcos Senesi, often featuring in an otherwise new defensive unit, has been crucial to the team’s continuity. The defender earned praise from Iraola for his performances and threat at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his aerial pass for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at the venue.