Forest Are Not Planning to Sack Ange Postecoglou; Alisson Sidelined; England Squad Updates
Ange Postecoglou Secure - At Present
As of the early hours today, Nottingham Forest were not intending to fire their manager but the volatile situation of the team and its owner the chairman means that circumstances may shift rapidly.
The fans expressed their opinions on the previous day, demanding the exit of the coach who replaced an East Midlands hero and it is challenging to turn the tide once that occurs.
The Australian is Marinakis’ man, the owner having lined him up well ahead of Nuno Espirito Santo was sent packing. Everyone at Forest anticipated a time of adjustment but to be without a victory in six games and losing at home to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he arrived last month.
The Australian was always going to alter the approach but he has his tactical philosophy, which is distinctly unlike to his predecessor, so there is an acceptance that adjustments require patience. Patience, however, is not a trait often observed at Forest. The next three Premier League games are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so the challenge will intensify for the manager.
Liverpool's Keeper Out for Liverpool
Arne Slot has been speaking:
“The goalkeeper is not part of the squad this weekend and he won’t travel to his national team for the national team matches. Hugo [Ekitike] is returning to training today, we will assess where he is. The applies similarly for Frederico [Chiesa]. It depends on how quickly they heal.
“I will be surprised if he the keeper will be there for the first game after the international break. After that progress may be a bit faster or a bit slower. It’s hard to predict. I’m not medically trained so I am unable to confirm if it is the identical issue.”
Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to start instead of Alisson.
“I think we’ve observed against Southampton how well he’s adjusted. We were aware we were signing a very good shot-stopper. When he made his debut that’s a way of seeing he’s adjusted really well to our club. It’s not a surprise because he’s a skilled goalkeeper. Now he can perform the role we’ve had to do so many times in the previous seasons covering for the main keeper, like we’ve handled previously.”
Weekend Fixtures
- Friday
- Cherries host Fulham (evening kickoff)
- Tomorrow
- Leeds v Tottenham
- Gunners take on Hammers
- United meet Sunderland
- Blues clash with Reds
- Sunday
- Aston Villa v Burnley
- Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
- Wolves v Brighton
- Everton v Crystal Palace
- Bees welcome City
European Results
It was a good night for the remaining UK teams in continental competitions. And a disappointing evening for the Scottish clubs.
The Eagles prolonged their unbeaten run as their manager kicks off continental campaign to strong beginning.
Europa League roundup: McGinn seals victory as Rangers and Celtic suffer defeats.
Fan Reaction at Forest's Stadium
The scenes were nearly unprecedented on a disheartening night, thousands of home supporters chanting: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the same fans added insult to injury, singing the title of his predecessor Nuno Espírito Santo, with a number turning towards Evangelos Marinakis observing with his own large personal screen in the directors’ box. This made for a dismal spectacle.
Preview of Matches
Unbeaten in the league since their initial match, Bournemouth early momentum has been stalled by consecutive draws: at home to the Magpies and at Elland Road recently. The Cottagers 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 sought stability in his lineup choices.
Trailing 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a triple change to reintroduce three regular players – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his starting eleven and was rewarded with a late leveller. Bournemouth have also preserved solidity at the back, conceding just once in four games between the away games to strong opponents. Marcos Senesi, often featuring in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been crucial to the squad's cohesion. The centre-back earned praise from the boss for his defensive work and threat at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his headed assist for the leveling goal at the venue.