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Postecoglou Secure - At Present

As of 9am this morning, Nottingham Forest had no plans to fire Ange Postecoglou but the unpredictable nature of the team and its proprietor Evangelos Marinakis indicates circumstances may shift rapidly.

Supporters made their voices known on the previous day, calling for the departure of the man who took over from an local favorite and it is challenging to reverse the sentiment once that happens.

Postecoglou is the owner's choice, the club chief having selected him well ahead of the previous manager was sent packing. All involved with the club expected a time of adjustment but to be winless in six matches and suffering defeats at home to opposing teams were not part of the thoughts when he arrived last month.

The Australian was always going to alter the approach but he has his way of playing, which is very different to his forerunner, so there is an acceptance that adjustments require patience. Tolerance, however, is not a trait often observed at the club. The next three Premier League games are against tough opponents, so the challenge will intensify for the manager.

Alisson Out for The Reds

Arne Slot addressed the media:

“The goalkeeper is not part of the squad this weekend and he won’t travel to Brazil for the international duty. Hugo [Ekitike] is going to train again today, we will assess where he is. The same can be said for Frederico [Chiesa]. It depends on how fast the recovery goes.

“I would not expect if he [Alisson] returns for the initial match after the international break. After that things can go a bit quicker or a bit slower. It’s hard to predict. I’m not a doctor so I am unable to confirm if it is the identical issue.”

Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to start instead of Alisson.

“I believe we’ve observed against the Saints how seamlessly he has fitted in. We were aware we were bringing in a high-quality goalkeeper. When he plays his first game that’s a demonstration he’s adapted excellently to the team. It’s not a surprise because he’s a quality goalkeeper. Now he can do what we’ve needed to accomplish so many occasions in the past replacing the main keeper, like we’ve handled previously.”

Weekend Fixtures

• Tonight
• Bournemouth v Fulham (8pm)
• Tomorrow
• Whites face Spurs
• Gunners take on Hammers
• United meet Sunderland
• Chelsea v Liverpool
• Sunday
• Aston Villa v Burnley
• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
• Wolves battle Seagulls
• Everton v Crystal Palace
• Brentford v Manchester City

Continental Action

It was a good night for the remaining UK teams in continental competitions. And a disappointing evening for the teams from Scotland.

The Eagles extended their winning streak as their manager gets European tilt to flying start.

Europa League summary: McGinn secures Villa win as Rangers and Celtic lose.

Supporters' Response at City Ground

Events were nearly unprecedented on a sobering evening, thousands of home supporters singing: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the same fans added insult to injury, voicing the name of his former coach the ex-manager, with several turning towards Evangelos Marinakis watching on with his own large personal screen in the directors’ box. This made for a dismal spectacle.

Weekend Lookahead

Without a loss in the Premier League since their Friday night opener, the Cherries early momentum has been halted by consecutive draws: at home to the Magpies and at Leeds recently. The Cottagers visit the stadium on Friday, offering Bournemouth a presentable chance of returning to victory and climbing the table. After a turbulent summer, Iraola has sought consistency in his lineup choices.

Trailing 2-1 at their opponents, the coach made a triple change to reintroduce three usual starters – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his starting eleven and was rewarded with a late leveller. Bournemouth have also maintained solidity at the back, conceding just once in four games between the away games to strong opponents. The defender, often playing in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been key to the squad's cohesion. The defender earned praise from Iraola for his performances and danger at dead-ball situations – as shown by his headed assist for the leveling goal at the venue.