Nottingham Forest Are Not Planning to Sack Ange Postecoglou; Liverpool Keeper Sidelined; Three Lions Team News
Ange Postecoglou Safe - For Now
Starting from 9am this morning, Nottingham Forest were not intending to fire Ange Postecoglou but the volatile situation of the team and its proprietor Evangelos Marinakis means that circumstances may shift rapidly.
Supporters expressed their opinions on Thursday, calling for the exit of the man who took over from an local favorite and it is challenging to turn the tide once that occurs.
The Australian is the owner's choice, the club chief having selected him long before the previous manager was sent packing. Everyone at Forest expected a period of transition but to be winless in six matches and losing at home to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he joined recently.
Postecoglou was always going to alter the approach but he has his way of playing, which is distinctly unlike to his forerunner, so there is an acceptance that adjustments require patience. Patience, however, is not a quality often observed at Forest. The upcoming league fixtures are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so things are not going to get easier for the manager.
Liverpool's Keeper Injured for The Reds
The Liverpool manager has been speaking:
“Alisson is absent from the team tomorrow and he will not go to his national team for the international duty. Hugo [Ekitike] is returning to training today, let’s see where he is. The same can be said for Frederico [Chiesa]. It hinges on how fast the recovery goes.
“I will be surprised if he the keeper will be there for the first game after the international break. From there on 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 Southampton how seamlessly he has fitted in. We knew we were bringing in a very good shot-stopper. When he made his debut that’s a demonstration he’s adapted excellently to the team. It’s not a surprise because he’s a quality player. Now he can perform the role we’ve had to do so many times in the previous seasons covering for Alisson, like we’ve handled previously.”
Upcoming Matches
- Friday
- Bournemouth v Fulham (evening kickoff)
- Tomorrow
- Whites face Spurs
- Gunners take on Hammers
- Manchester United v Sunderland
- Blues clash with Reds
- Day after
- Villa play Burnley
- Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
- Wolves battle Seagulls
- Everton v Crystal Palace
- Brentford v Manchester City
Continental Results
It was a good night for the other English clubs in continental competitions. And a bad night for the teams from Scotland.
Crystal Palace prolonged their unbeaten run as Muñoz kicks off continental campaign to strong beginning.
European tournament roundup: McGinn secures victory as Scottish sides lose.
Supporters' Response at Forest's Stadium
The scenes were nearly unprecedented on a disheartening night, thousands of home supporters chanting: “Your job is at risk.” Then the supporters twisted the knife, singing the name of his predecessor the ex-manager, with a number directing comments at the owner observing with his own large personal screen in the executive area. This made for grim viewing.
Weekend Lookahead
Unbeaten in the Premier League since their Friday night opener, Bournemouth early momentum has been stalled by consecutive draws: at home to the Magpies and at Leeds recently. The Cottagers travel to the stadium on Friday, offering Bournemouth a good opportunity of returning to victory and going second. After a turbulent summer, Iraola has aimed for consistency in his team selection.
Trailing 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 compensated with a equalizing goal. Bournemouth have also maintained defensive stability, conceding just once in four games between the away games to Liverpool and Leeds. The defender, often featuring in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been crucial to the team’s continuity. The defender received accolades from the boss for his defensive work and threat at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his aerial pass for the leveling goal at the venue.
