Nottingham Forest Are Not Planning to Dismiss Ange Postecoglou; Alisson Sidelined; Three Lions Team Updates
Postecoglou Secure - At Present
Starting from the early hours today, Nottingham Forest were not intending to fire their manager but the volatile situation of the team and its owner Evangelos Marinakis means that things can change quickly.
The fans made their voices known on the previous day, calling for the exit of the coach who replaced an local favorite and it is difficult to turn the tide once that occurs.
Postecoglou is Marinakis’ man, the club chief having lined him up long before Nuno Espirito Santo 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 home to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he joined recently.
Postecoglou was intended to alter the approach but he has his way of playing, which is distinctly unlike to his forerunner, so there is an acceptance that adjustments require patience. Patience, however, is not a trait often seen at Forest. The upcoming league fixtures are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so the challenge will intensify for the manager.
Liverpool's Keeper Injured for Liverpool
Arne Slot has been speaking:
“The goalkeeper is absent from the team tomorrow and he won’t travel to Brazil for the international duty. Hugo [Ekitike] is returning to training today, let’s see where he is. The applies similarly for the winger. It hinges on how quickly they heal.
“I will be surprised if he [Alisson] returns for the first game after the national team pause. After that things can go a bit faster or a bit slower. It’s difficult to say. I’m not a doctor so I am unable to confirm if it is the same injury.”
The backup keeper is set to start instead of Alisson.
“I believe we’ve seen against Southampton how seamlessly he has fitted in. We were aware we were signing a very good goalkeeper. When he made his debut that’s a demonstration he’s adjusted really well to the team. It’s not a surprise because he’s a skilled player. Now he can do what we’ve needed to accomplish so many occasions in the past replacing Alisson, like we’ve handled previously.”
Upcoming Fixtures
- Friday
- Cherries host Fulham (8pm)
- Tomorrow
- Leeds v Tottenham
- Gunners take on Hammers
- United meet Sunderland
- Chelsea v Liverpool
- 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.
The Eagles prolonged their unbeaten run as Muñoz gets continental campaign to strong beginning.
European tournament roundup: McGinn secures victory as Rangers and Celtic suffer defeats.
Supporters' Response at City Ground
The scenes were close to extraordinary on a disheartening night, thousands of home supporters singing: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the same fans added insult to injury, singing the title of his former coach Nuno Espírito Santo, with a number turning towards the owner watching on with his own large personal screen in the executive area. This made for grim viewing.
Weekend Lookahead
Unbeaten in the Premier League since their Friday night opener, the Cherries early momentum has been halted by consecutive draws: at their stadium to Newcastle and at Elland Road last week. Fulham visit the stadium on tonight, presenting Bournemouth a good opportunity of returning to victory and going second. After a hectic off-season, the manager has aimed for consistency in his lineup choices.
Trailing 2-1 at their opponents, the coach made a triple change to reintroduce three regular players – key squad members – to his starting eleven and was rewarded with a late leveller. The team have also maintained solidity at the back, allowing only one goal in several matches between the trips to strong opponents. The defender, often featuring in an otherwise new defensive unit, has been crucial to the squad's cohesion. The defender earned praise from Iraola for his performances and danger at attacking set-pieces – as shown by his aerial pass for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at Elland Road.
