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Postecoglou Secure - For Now

Starting from 9am this morning, the club had no plans to fire their manager but the unpredictable nature of the team and its owner the chairman means that things can change quickly.

The fans made their voices known on the previous day, demanding the exit of the man who replaced an East Midlands hero and it is difficult to reverse the sentiment once that happens.

Postecoglou is Marinakis’ man, the club chief having lined him up long before the previous manager was sent packing. Everyone at Forest 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.

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 these things take time. Patience, however, is not a quality often seen at Forest. The next three Premier League games are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so things are not going to get easier for Postecoglou.

Alisson Out for Liverpool

Arne Slot has been speaking:

“Alisson is not part of the squad this weekend and he won’t travel to Brazil for the national team matches. The forward is returning to training today, let’s see where he is. The same can be said for Frederico [Chiesa]. It depends on how quickly they heal.

“I will be surprised if he [Alisson] will be there for the initial match after the national team pause. From there on 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 same injury.”

The backup keeper will play in place of Alisson.

“I believe we’ve seen against Southampton how well he’s adjusted. We were aware we were bringing in a very good goalkeeper. When he plays his first game that’s a demonstration he’s adapted excellently to the team. It’s expected because he’s a skilled player. Now he can perform the role we’ve needed to accomplish so many occasions in the previous seasons replacing Alisson, like we’ve done so many times before.”

Weekend Matches

• Friday
• Bournemouth v Fulham (evening kickoff)
• Saturday
• Leeds v Tottenham
• Arsenal v West Ham
• Manchester United v Sunderland
• Blues clash with Reds
• Sunday
• Villa play Burnley
• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
• Wolves v Brighton
• Toffees vs Eagles
• Bees welcome City

European Action

The evening went well for the remaining UK teams in continental competitions. And a bad night for the Scottish clubs.

Crystal Palace prolonged their unbeaten run as their manager gets continental campaign to strong beginning.

European tournament summary: McGinn seals Villa win as Scottish sides suffer defeats.

Fan Reaction at Forest's Stadium

Events were nearly unprecedented on a disheartening night, many local fans chanting: “Your job is at risk.” Then the same fans twisted the knife, singing the title of his predecessor the ex-manager, with several turning towards Evangelos Marinakis observing with his own large personal screen in the directors’ box. This resulted in grim viewing.

Weekend Lookahead

Without a loss in the Premier League since their initial match, Bournemouth early momentum has been halted by back-to-back ties: at their stadium to Newcastle and at Leeds last week. The Cottagers travel to the Vitality on Friday, offering Andoni Iraola’s side a good opportunity of returning to victory and climbing the table. After a hectic off-season, the manager has aimed for stability in his lineup choices.

Trailing 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a triple change to reintroduce three regular players – key squad members – to his XI and was rewarded with a late leveller. The team have also maintained solidity at the back, allowing only one goal in several matches between the trips to strong opponents. The defender, often playing 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 shown by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at Elland Road.