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Ange Postecoglou Safe - For Now

Starting from the early hours today, the club had no plans to fire Ange Postecoglou but the volatile situation of the team and its proprietor Evangelos Marinakis indicates circumstances may shift rapidly.

The fans made their voices known on Thursday, demanding the departure of the coach who took over from an local favorite and it is challenging to reverse the sentiment once that happens.

Postecoglou is Marinakis’ man, the club chief having selected him well ahead of the previous manager was sent packing. Everyone at Forest anticipated a period of transition but to be winless in six matches and losing at home to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he joined recently.

Postecoglou was always going to alter the approach but he has his tactical philosophy, which is very different to his predecessor, so there is an understanding that these things take time. Patience, however, is not a quality often observed at the club. The next three Premier League games are against tough opponents, so the challenge will intensify for Postecoglou.

Alisson Injured for Liverpool

The Liverpool manager has been speaking:

“The goalkeeper is absent from the team tomorrow and he will not go to his national team for the international duty. The forward is going to train again this afternoon, let’s see where he is. The same can be said for Frederico [Chiesa]. It depends on how quickly they heal.

“I will be surprised if he [Alisson] returns for the initial match after the international break. After that things can go a bit quicker or a bit more gradual. It’s hard to predict. I’m not medically trained so I cannot tell you if it is the identical issue.”

Giorgi Mamardashvili will play instead of the first choice.

“I think we’ve seen against Southampton how seamlessly he has fitted in. We were aware we were signing a high-quality shot-stopper. When he made his debut that’s a demonstration he’s adapted excellently to our club. It’s expected because he’s a quality goalkeeper. Now he can do what we’ve needed to accomplish so many times in the past covering for Alisson, like we’ve done so many times before.”

Weekend Fixtures

• Tonight
• Bournemouth v Fulham (evening kickoff)
• Tomorrow
• Whites face Spurs
• Arsenal v West Ham
• Manchester United v Sunderland
• Blues clash with Reds
• Day after
• Villa play Burnley
• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
• Wolves battle Seagulls
• Everton v Crystal Palace
• Brentford v Manchester City

European Results

The evening went well for the other English clubs in Europe. And a disappointing evening for the teams from Scotland.

Crystal Palace prolonged their unbeaten run as their manager kicks off continental campaign to strong beginning.

European tournament summary: Aston Villa star seals Villa win as Rangers and Celtic suffer defeats.

Fan Reaction at City Ground

Events were close to extraordinary on a sobering evening, many local fans singing: “Your job is at risk.” Then the supporters twisted the knife, voicing the title of his former coach the ex-manager, with a number turning towards the owner observing with his own large personal screen in the directors’ box. This made for a dismal spectacle.

Preview of Matches

Without a loss in the league since their initial match, the Cherries strong start has been halted by consecutive draws: at their stadium to the Magpies and at Leeds last week. The Cottagers travel to the Vitality on Friday, offering Bournemouth a presentable chance of recapturing winning ways and going second. After a hectic off-season, the manager has aimed for stability in his lineup choices.

Trailing 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a three substitutions to reintroduce three usual starters – key squad members – to his starting eleven and was compensated with a late leveller. The team have also maintained defensive stability, allowing only one goal in four games between the trips to Liverpool and Leeds. Marcos Senesi, often featuring in an otherwise new defensive unit, has been key to the team’s continuity. The defender received accolades from the boss for his performances and danger at dead-ball situations – as evidenced by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at Elland Road.