Forest Are Not Planning to Sack Ange Postecoglou; Liverpool Keeper Sidelined; Three Lions Team Updates
Ange Postecoglou Safe - At Present
As of the early hours today, Nottingham Forest were not intending to fire Ange Postecoglou but the unpredictable nature of the team and its owner the chairman means that things can change quickly.
The fans expressed their opinions on Thursday, calling for the departure of the coach who took over from an East Midlands hero and it is challenging to turn the tide once that happens.
Postecoglou is the owner's choice, the club chief having lined him up well ahead of Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed. Everyone at Forest anticipated a time of adjustment but to be without a victory in six games and losing at their own ground to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he joined recently.
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. Patience, however, is not a quality often seen at Forest. The upcoming league fixtures are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so the challenge will intensify for the manager.
Alisson Injured for The Reds
Arne Slot addressed the media:
“Alisson is absent from the team this weekend and he will not go to Brazil for the international duty. Hugo [Ekitike] is returning to training this afternoon, let’s see where he is. The same can be said for Frederico [Chiesa]. It depends on how fast the recovery goes.
“I will be surprised if he the keeper will be there for the initial match after the national team pause. From there on progress may be a bit quicker 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 will play instead of the first choice.
“I think we’ve observed against Southampton how seamlessly he has fitted in. We knew we were bringing in a very good shot-stopper. When he plays his first game that’s a way of seeing he’s adapted excellently to the team. It’s expected because he’s a quality goalkeeper. Now he can do what we’ve had to do so many times in the previous seasons replacing Alisson, like we’ve handled previously.”
Upcoming Fixtures
- Tonight
- Bournemouth v Fulham (evening kickoff)
- Tomorrow
- Whites face Spurs
- Arsenal v West Ham
- United meet Sunderland
- Blues clash with Reds
- Sunday
- Aston Villa v Burnley
- Magpies host Forest
- Wolves battle Seagulls
- Toffees vs Eagles
- Bees welcome City
European Results
It was a good night for the other English clubs in Europe. And a bad night for the teams from Scotland.
The Eagles prolonged their winning streak as Muñoz gets continental campaign to flying start.
European tournament roundup: McGinn secures victory as Scottish sides lose.
Supporters' Response at City Ground
The scenes were close to extraordinary on a disheartening night, many local fans chanting: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the supporters added insult to injury, singing the title of his former coach Nuno Espírito Santo, with a number directing comments at Evangelos Marinakis observing with his own large personal screen in the executive area. This resulted in grim viewing.
Weekend Lookahead
Without a loss in the Premier League since their Friday night opener, the Cherries strong start has been stalled by consecutive draws: at their stadium to Newcastle and at Elland Road last week. Fulham travel to the stadium on tonight, offering Bournemouth a presentable chance of recapturing winning ways and climbing the table. After a hectic off-season, Iraola has sought consistency in his team selection.
Behind 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a triple change to restore three regular players – key squad members – to his starting eleven and was rewarded with a late leveller. Bournemouth have also maintained defensive stability, conceding just once in several matches between the trips to Liverpool and Leeds. Marcos Senesi, often featuring in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been crucial to the squad's cohesion. The defender received accolades from the boss for his performances and threat at dead-ball situations – as evidenced by his aerial pass for the leveling goal at Elland Road.
