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Ange Postecoglou Safe - For Now

Starting from 9am this morning, the club had no plans to sack their manager but the unpredictable nature of the team and its owner Evangelos Marinakis indicates things can change quickly.

Supporters expressed their opinions on Thursday, demanding the exit of the man who took over from an local favorite and it is challenging to turn the tide once that happens.

The Australian is Marinakis’ man, the owner having selected him long before the previous manager was sent packing. All involved with the club anticipated a period of transition but to be without a victory in six games and losing at home to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not anticipated outcomes when he joined recently.

Postecoglou was intended to alter the approach 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 trait often observed at the club. The upcoming league fixtures are against tough opponents, so the challenge will intensify for Postecoglou.

Liverpool's Keeper Injured for The Reds

Arne Slot addressed the media:

“Alisson is absent from the team this weekend and he won’t travel to his national team for the international duty. Hugo [Ekitike] is returning to training this afternoon, 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 international break. After that progress may be a bit faster or a bit more gradual. It’s hard to predict. I’m not medically trained so I cannot tell you if it is the same injury.”

Giorgi Mamardashvili will play instead of Alisson.

“I believe we’ve seen against the Saints how well he’s adjusted. We knew we were bringing in 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 expected because he’s a skilled goalkeeper. Now he can do what we’ve needed to accomplish so many times in the previous seasons replacing Alisson, like we’ve handled previously.”

Weekend Fixtures

• Tonight
• Cherries host Fulham (evening kickoff)
• Tomorrow
• Leeds v Tottenham
• Gunners take on Hammers
• Manchester United v Sunderland
• Blues clash with Reds
• Sunday
• Aston Villa v Burnley
• Newcastle v Nottingham Forest
• Wolves battle Seagulls
• Everton v Crystal Palace
• Brentford v Manchester City

European Results

The evening went well for the other English clubs in continental competitions. And a disappointing evening for the Scottish clubs.

The Eagles prolonged their unbeaten run as Muñoz kicks off continental campaign to flying start.

European tournament roundup: Aston Villa star secures Villa win as Rangers and Celtic suffer defeats.

Supporters' Response at City Ground

Events were close to extraordinary on a sobering evening, many local fans singing: “Your job is at risk.” Then the same fans added insult to injury, voicing the name of his former coach Nuno Espírito Santo, with a number turning towards the owner watching on with his own giant private television in the executive area. This made for grim viewing.

Weekend Lookahead

Without a loss in the league since their initial match, the Cherries strong start has been halted by back-to-back ties: at their stadium to Newcastle and at Elland Road recently. Fulham travel to the stadium on tonight, offering Bournemouth a good opportunity of returning to victory and going second. After a hectic off-season, Iraola has sought stability in his team selection.

Trailing 2-1 at Leeds, the coach made a triple change to reintroduce three regular players – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his starting eleven and was compensated with a equalizing goal. The team have also preserved solidity at the back, conceding just once in several matches between the away games to Liverpool and Leeds. The defender, often featuring in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been crucial to the squad's cohesion. The centre-back earned praise from the boss for his performances and threat at dead-ball situations – as evidenced by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at the venue.