Nottingham Forest Are Not Planning to Dismiss Postecoglou; Alisson Out; England Squad News

Postecoglou Secure - For Now

Starting from the early hours today, the club were not intending to sack Ange Postecoglou but the volatile situation of the team and its owner Evangelos Marinakis indicates things can change quickly.

Supporters expressed their opinions on the previous day, demanding the exit of the man who replaced an East Midlands hero and it is challenging to turn the tide once that occurs.

The Australian is Marinakis’ man, the club chief having selected him long before Nuno Espirito Santo was sent packing. Everyone at Forest expected a time of adjustment but to be without a victory in six games and suffering defeats at their own ground to opposing teams were not anticipated outcomes 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 acceptance that adjustments require patience. Tolerance, however, is not a trait often seen at Forest. The upcoming league fixtures are against tough opponents, so the challenge will intensify for Postecoglou.

Alisson Out for The Reds

Arne Slot has been speaking:

“Alisson is not part of the squad tomorrow and he will not go to his national team for the international duty. Hugo [Ekitike] is going to train again this afternoon, we will assess where he is. The same can be said for Frederico [Chiesa]. It hinges on how fast the recovery goes.

“I would not expect if he [Alisson] will be there for the first game after the national team pause. After that things can go a bit quicker or a bit slower. It’s difficult to say. I’m not medically trained so I cannot tell you if it is the same injury.”

Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to start in place of Alisson.

“I think we’ve seen against the Saints how well he’s adjusted. We knew we were signing a high-quality goalkeeper. 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 quality player. Now he can do what we’ve had to do so many times in the past replacing Alisson, like we’ve handled previously.”

Upcoming Matches

• Tonight
• Bournemouth v Fulham (evening kickoff)
• Saturday
• Whites face Spurs
• Gunners take on Hammers
• Manchester United v Sunderland
• Blues clash with Reds
• Day after
• Villa play Burnley
• Magpies host Forest
• Wolves v Brighton
• Toffees vs Eagles
• Bees welcome City

Continental Action

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 winning streak as their manager kicks off continental campaign to flying start.

Europa League roundup: Aston Villa star secures victory as Rangers and Celtic suffer defeats.

Fan Reaction at Forest's Stadium

The scenes were close to extraordinary on a disheartening night, many local fans singing: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the same fans twisted the knife, voicing the title of his predecessor Nuno Espírito Santo, with a number turning towards 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 halted by back-to-back ties: at home to Newcastle and at Elland Road recently. The Cottagers travel to the Vitality on tonight, offering Bournemouth a presentable chance of recapturing winning ways and climbing the table. After a turbulent summer, the manager has sought stability in his team selection.

Behind 2-1 at Leeds, the coach made a triple change to reintroduce three usual starters – key squad members – to his starting eleven and was compensated with a late leveller. The team have also preserved solidity at the back, conceding just once in four games between the trips to Liverpool and Leeds. Marcos Senesi, often playing in an otherwise new defensive unit, has been crucial to the squad's cohesion. The centre-back earned praise from Iraola for his defensive work and danger at dead-ball situations – as evidenced by his aerial pass for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at the venue.