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Ange Postecoglou Safe - For Now

As of the early hours today, Nottingham Forest had no plans to fire Ange Postecoglou but the volatile situation of the club and its owner Evangelos Marinakis indicates things can change quickly.

Supporters 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 occurs.

Postecoglou is Marinakis’ man, the owner having selected him long before Nuno Espirito Santo was sent packing. All involved with the club expected a time of adjustment but to be winless in six matches and losing at home to opposing teams were not part of the thoughts when he joined recently.

Postecoglou was always going to change the style but he has his tactical philosophy, which is distinctly unlike to his forerunner, so there is an acceptance that adjustments require patience. Patience, however, is not a quality often seen at the club. The next three Premier League games are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so the challenge will intensify for the manager.

Alisson Injured for Liverpool

Arne Slot has been speaking:

“The goalkeeper is absent from the team tomorrow and he will not go to Brazil for the international duty. Hugo [Ekitike] is returning to training this afternoon, we will assess where he is. The applies similarly for the winger. 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 more gradual. It’s difficult to say. I’m not medically trained so I cannot tell you if it is the identical issue.”

The backup keeper is set to start in place of the first choice.

“I think we’ve seen against the Saints how seamlessly he has fitted in. We were aware we were signing a high-quality goalkeeper. When he plays his first game that’s a demonstration he’s adapted excellently to our club. It’s not a surprise because he’s a quality player. Now he can do what we’ve needed to accomplish so many times in the past replacing the main keeper, like we’ve done so many times before.”

Upcoming Fixtures

• Tonight
• Cherries host Fulham (evening kickoff)
• Tomorrow
• Whites face Spurs
• Gunners take on Hammers
• Manchester United v Sunderland
• Chelsea v Liverpool
• Day after
• Villa play Burnley
• Magpies host Forest
• Wolves v Brighton
• Everton v Crystal Palace
• Bees welcome City

Continental Action

The evening went well for the other English clubs in Europe. And a bad night for the Scottish clubs.

The Eagles extended their unbeaten run as Muñoz kicks off European tilt to flying start.

European tournament roundup: McGinn secures victory as Rangers and Celtic lose.

Supporters' Response at Forest's Stadium

Events were nearly unprecedented on a sobering evening, thousands of home supporters chanting: “Your job is at risk.” Then the same fans added insult to injury, voicing the name of his former coach the ex-manager, with several directing comments at Evangelos Marinakis observing with his own giant private television in the directors’ box. This resulted in a dismal spectacle.

Preview of Matches

Unbeaten in the 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 travel to the Vitality on tonight, offering Bournemouth a good opportunity of recapturing winning ways and climbing the table. After a turbulent summer, the manager has aimed for stability in his team selection.

Trailing 2-1 at their opponents, the Bournemouth manager made a three substitutions to restore three usual starters – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his starting eleven and was rewarded with a late leveller. The team have also preserved solidity at the back, allowing only one goal in four games between the away games to strong opponents. Marcos Senesi, often featuring in an otherwise new defensive unit, has been key to the team’s continuity. The defender earned praise from Iraola for his performances and threat at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at the venue.