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Mesut Ozil's plight at Arsenal has been subject to a lot of debate around the world, especially in the wake of Arsenal's less-than-ideal start to the Premier League season. 

The Gunners are currently 14th on the table with just 13 points from 10 matches and a lack of creativity in the team has been highlighted. Many have argued that Ozil, who has been frozen out of the squad, could be an answer to Arteta's conundrum. 

Former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen feels that the situation that led to the falling out between the German and the manager is unfortunate, given the quality that Ozil possesses. However, he also stated that Arteta could have had his reasons for the decision that has seen Ozil left out of the Gunners' Premier League squad altogether. 

Vermaelen spent a season playing alongside Ozil before moving to Barcelona in 2014. 

"I am just watching it on TV and I don’t know what is going on behind the closed doors. So it is difficult for me to judge. When I played with him, he was very important and produced a lot of creativity," Vermaelen told Goal .

But that is not the only thing in football, you have to produce more and I don’t know, Mikel Arteta can judge him best and see what is going on in training and in the games and probably there is a reason why he is not in the squad."

The 35-year-old, who is currently playing for Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe, expressed his disappointment over the state of affairs.

"Personally, I feel he is a great player and world-class player but it's not working well between him and the club. It is a shame. It will be nice to see him perform again at the top level for Arsenal. Unfortunately, there are reasons why he is not on the team."

The Belgian is no stranger to Arteta, with both of them having played together for Gunners for almost three seasons. Vermaelen feels Arteta's leadership qualities were evident even during his playing days and feels the Arsenal manager's job is richly deserved for the Spaniard. 

Arteta is currently in his first job as a head coach, having assisted Pep Guardiola at Manchester City prior to replacing Unai Emery at the Emirates. But Vermaelen rejected suggestions that the job might have come too soon for him. 

"I don’t think so (that the job came too soon for Arteta). I think he is doing a terrific job. It is not easy to come into a club so early and change everything all of a sudden. What I can see from outside he is doing a good job.

"When I was at Arsenal I saw him as one of the leaders of the team and made sure the team could improve tactically. As a player, he was involved. I think he was well prepared already. Of course, it is all in the moment and unfortunately, that is where people look at as things are not going as they want to go but that does not mean the job came too soon.

"He was working under (Pep) Guardiola for a couple of years at Man City and he was also doing stuff behind the scenes when he was already a player."

East Bengal’s poor run of form in their debut season in the Indian Super League (ISL) continued as they went down 0-2 against NorthEast United on Saturday and remained bottom of the league table.

The Red and Golds' performance against the Highlanders was reminiscent of the Kolkata derby where also East Bengal played better only to be beaten by a more efficient team. 

The Kolkata giants had more possession of the ball, played more passes and created more chances than the Highlanders, but in football, goals matter and that is what NorthEast did. 

Robbie Fowler made just one change in the lineup that lost to Mumbai City in the last match. He slotted in defensive midfielder Sehnaj Singh as a centre back, replacing injured skipper Danny Fox. Singh did not look very comfortable in his role and the backline did not inspire confidence. And their vital mistakes cost the team two goals last night. 

They conceded the first goal in a ridiculous manner as Australian defender Scott Neville failed to clear Kwesi Appiah’s cross which later ricochet off Surchandra Singh’s knees and went inside the goal. Coach Robbie Fowler wasn’t pleased with the silly errors his defenders were committing and he said after the game, “Sometimes it is schoolboy football. When you are a professional footballer, you need to realise what's at stake. We will work on that on the training pitch.”

Jacques Maghoma and Anthony Pilkington, who operated just behind Balwant Singh, worked very hard and looked to create chances. Unfortunately, neither Balwant Singh nor CK Vineeth, who replaced the Punjabi forward in the second half, were able to convert any. 

Though there were a couple of refereeing decisions that went against East Bengal, particularly related to penalty shouts, it cannot be an excuse for the team's inability to create and convert chances. 

East Bengal are the only team in the ISL so far who are yet to score a goal and that is not surprising considering the state of the team’s forward line. As has been mentioned before, the side does not have a proven overseas finisher. And their Indian forwards are not in great form, given that Jeje Lalpekhlua is coming back after a long injury lay-off and is still not 100 per cent. Balwant on the other hand, has not been among the goals in the last one or two years. Although CK Vineeth was tried out as an auxiliary striker, it did not work. 

The Kolkata giants can play as many passes as they want but if they can’t be lethal in the attacking third then there is no point just dominating matches. That is exactly what NorthEast United have done under Gerard Nus so far.

Under the Spaniard’s tutelage, NorthEast United have played to their strengths and Nus’ pragmatic approach has earned the team positive results. They have a solid backline under the leadership of Belgian defender Benjamin Lambot who had a stellar outing against East Bengal. Lambot’s towering presence did not allow the East Bengal attackers to pose any major threat in the NorthEast penalty box.

Fowler needs to find a solution to his team’s attacking woes soon if they want to turn things around. Getting a top foreign striker has to be the team management’s topmost priority and the recruitment must be done at the earliest if they don’t want the club’s debut ISL season turn into a nightmare.

Last season, Ashutosh Mehta was busy conquering the right flank for Mohun Bagan in what turned out to be a title-winning season under Kibu Vicuna. 

His impressive performances caught the eye of multiple ISL clubs but in the end, it was NorthEast United who got his signature. He has moved from one football-loving region to another. 

While he has settled in quickly at his new club, the one thing Mehta is missing is the atmosphere created by the fans inside stadiums. He is used to the vociferous mood in the Kolkata derbies last season and suddenly, it is the emptiness of games behind closed doors in Goa due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

"The atmosphere at the Kolkata derby also known as Boro match is synonymous to Indian Football. I'm sure it must be every Indian footballer's dream to play in a match like that. So undoubtedly the fans backing you up from the stands motivates you during the game immensely. But unfortunately, the new normal has been harsh to football fans during this season. It is what it is and we need to adapt to the situation," the full-back told Goal.

Mehta, who has worked with quite a few experienced head coaches in his professional career so far, is now playing the youngest ever head coach in the history of the ISL. The Highlanders have been without a playoff spot since 2018 when Eelco Schattorie guided them to the semi-final for the first time in ISL. In Nus though, they seem to have a 'man with a plan'.

"Gerard Nus is the youngest-ever head coach in Indian Super League history. He is a man with a plan. He is someone who has solutions and is prepared for all type of situations. He demands his players to play with personality, character and determination."

He added, "I think he is the perfect man to get the best out of the set of players he has at NorthEast United."

Nus' team has started the season well and are unbeaten after four rounds. On Saturday, they defeated East Bengal 2-0 to climb to the second spot on the league table with eight points in their kitty.

"It’s a good start by NorthEast this season. Great character shown by the Highlanders and certainly the standards for the team are increasing with each game. Our biggest asset is their collective mental strength to stay in the game and give our all till the very end and if we continue, I think we definitely have a strong chance to challenge for the top table position," Mehta opined. 

On top of the table, above the Highlanders are ATK Mohun Bagan - a merged entity consisting of Mehta's former employers -  ATK and Mohun Bagan. 

"We take every team seriously. The standard of the league is high compared to the previous seasons. All the teams are very good this season. However, ATK-Mohun Bagan has an impressive team.

"The sheer quality in the squad means Bagan will have a capable bench. There are players in the team who can come in as a substitute and can change the complexion of any match. Though, this only means it will instil a spirit of healthy competition in the league," the 28-year-old said. 

Due to the short pre-season, the coaches are expected to chop and change regarding lineups and for NorthEast, Provat Lakra is the one competing with Mehta for first-team minutes at right-back. Mehta, however, isn't concerned about losing gametime.

"The games are coming thick and fast. The coach wants all his players to be fit and fresh for the games."

Inter head coach Antonio Conte compared Romelu Lukaku to an NFL quarterback, while he also praised two-goal hero Achraf Hakimi following Saturday's 3-1 win over Bologna.

Conte's Inter closed the gap on Serie A leaders and city rivals AC Milan to two points thanks to Lukaku and full-back Hakimi at San Siro.

Inter star Lukaku broke the deadlock in the 16th minute before Hakimi doubled the advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Emanuel Vignato's 67th-minute goal threatened to make things tense for Inter, but Hakimi's second wrapped up proceedings as the Nerazzurri took their tally to 26 goals in the first 10 Serie A games of the season for the first time since 2009-10.

Conte heaped praise on in-form forward Lukaku, who has scored eight goals in his first nine league appearances this term – the Belgium international has scored more than seven goals before the 11th match of the season for the first time in his career.

Lukaku has also scored in all of his first four home appearances in Serie A in 2020-21, joining Christian Vieri as the only Inter players to achieve the feat in the league's three-point-win era.

"I believe he can still get stronger," Conte told DAZN. "I described him as a rough diamond when he arrived and felt that work would help him become one of the best strikers in the world.

"He is on the right track, as he has everything, the physicality of a centre-forward, but also the pace and power of an American Football quarterback.

"He is doing well, has understood what needs to be done, is humble and works for the team. I am very happy with him."

Hakimi, who arrived from La Liga champions Real Madrid ahead of the current campaign following two successful seasons on loan at Borussia Dortmund, became the only Serie A defender this term to score at least two goals and provide two assists.

"This lad is 20 years old and had just two seasons at Dortmund, where they play a much less tactical style of football. Haki is working hard, he has realised the difference between playing in Italy and Germany, where the opponents don't study you as much, where they don't identify your characteristics as precisely," Conte added.

"I think he is in the right team and with the right coach to become one of the best in the world in his role. It will require a lot of work, but I'm very happy, because this type of performance will boost his confidence, whereas errors in the past might've dented his self-belief.

"He needs a balance, it's going to be a process and I am glad he got this personal satisfaction of a brace."

Christian Eriksen, who is out of favour and heading for a January exit just a year after swapping Tottenham for Inter, was a stoppage-time substitute against Bologna.

"My rapport with Christian is the same as all the other players. I will never tire of explaining that what I do and the choices I make are for the good of Inter," Conte.

"The last thing I do is look at the face of the player, it's about everything else. Eriksen is working and he is at our disposal."

Ronald Koeman has demanded Barcelona's attitude in away matches improve after they went down 2-1 to Cadiz in La Liga.

Barca had lost just one of their previous eight fixtures in all competitions heading into Saturday's clash with Cadiz, who had already claimed the scalp of champions Real Madrid this term.

The only defeat in that run came at the hands of Atletico Madrid in Barca's last away outing in La Liga, however, and their poor form on the road under Koeman continued as Alvaro Gimenez and veteran forward Alvaro Negredo clinched another famous win for Cadiz, who had just 17.9 per cent possession.

Cadiz moved up to fifth, while Barca sit 12 points behind leaders Atleti, who overcame Real Valladolid 2-0, with their tally of 14 points from 10 league matches their lowest since 1987-88 when adjusted to three points for a win.

Barca had 21 attempts, though only eight hit the target, and Koeman's side had to rely on an own goal from Pedro Alcala to get on the scoresheet.

The Blaugrana have failed to win four straight away La Liga games (D1 L3) for the first time in a single season since 2007-08 under Frank Rijkaard.

The result was one that Koeman planted firmly on his players, insisting that Barca's attitude on their travels has not been up to scratch.

"We can't concede a second goal like that. It's a lack of concentration," Koeman told Movistar of Negredo's goal, which came when he charged down Marc-Andre ter Stegen after Clement Lenglet failed to control a throw-in.

"It's hard to explain what happened because we had a good week. I think the first half wasn't good. We lost a lot of balls. There was a little improvement in the second half.

"It's a giant step backwards to be able to compete for La Liga. I'm very disappointed. There are many points dropped away. If we do not improve the attitude away from home, there is nothing else to say.

"We have ups and downs in our games, in our attitude, although in principle it is good, but there are moments that it is not. When we don't have the ball, we fail a lot. This is an attitude [problem] of the whole team."

Barca have conceded first in their past four away league matches, a trend which concerns Koeman, who claimed his team are letting in the types of goals his former clubs have not.

"In away games they put us behind and that's more complicated," he continued.

"We don't have spaces to play and also, and we have to know this, we conceded goals that I couldn't think of happening in other teams that I have coached.

"It is very difficult to explain, it may be because we lack concentration, we lacked aggressiveness, but it is not easy to explain how we conceded the second goal."

Next up for Koeman is a home clash with Juventus in the Champions League, though both sides have already qualified for the last 16.

Pep Guardiola stood by his decision not to utilise any substitutes as Manchester City ran out 2-0 winners at home to Fulham on Saturday.

Kevin De Bruyne scored one and set up another as City cruised to a comfortable victory, taking them to within three points of Premier League co-leaders Tottenham and Liverpool ahead of Sunday's action.

Despite all but wrapping up the points by half-time, though, Guardiola elected to leave all seven substitutes on the bench.

The City boss and Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp have been the two most vocal managers in pressing for the Premier League to allow five changes in a game amid a congested schedule.

Premier League clubs voted ahead of the season to reduce the number of allotted substitutions back to three, with a maximum of five in-game alterations having been allowed when the top flight resumed in June following a three-month break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Klopp reiterated his stance on Friday, insisting he will "not stop fighting" despite Premier League shareholders refusing to vote again on the issue in a meeting the previous day.

But Guardiola perhaps did little to help the pair's cause against Fulham as he did not call on a single substitute for the first time in 416 games as a coach in Europe's 'top five' leagues, having always used at least one change while in charge of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

City had last kept the same XI on the pitch for the entirety of a Premier League match in a 2-2 draw against Charlton Athletic in April 2005.

However, Guardiola offered an explanation, insisting that he was merely managing his squad ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Marseille and the subsequent Manchester derby on Saturday.

"Yes, I wanted the guys to play 90 minutes and most of them are not going to play Wednesday and the guys who didn't play today will play Wednesday," he told reporters.

"I decide to play 90 minutes with these guys and a fresh 90 minutes for the rest of the players. After that we will see the best selection for the next games.

"In the Champions League, we have done the job but we have prestige to play for; it's a serious game and we will respect the competition. Marseille and Olympiakos are still playing for Europa League [qualification].

"After this game we will see about United and how we want to play."

Despite leaving his captain on, Guardiola did concede that De Bruyne, who had six attempts and created two chances, including a superb assist for Raheem Sterling's early opener, struggled in the closing stages.

"For the last 25 minutes, Kevin did feel a little bit tired," Guardiola added.

City have made 19 changes in total across their 10 league games this term, with only Aston Villa and Burnley (both 18) having made fewer.

Liverpool are 10th in the Premier League for substitutions on 28 from an available 30, three shy of Everton, who top the rankings with Carlo Ancelotti having made 31 of a possible 33.

Burnley are the only other team to have gone through a game without making a change, while City have been involved in two league matches in which only three substitutions were made in total: against Fulham and Liverpool.

Only in Burnley's defeat to Southampton in September have fewer than three changes been made (two - both for Saints).

Kylian Mbappe felt liberated after he ended his wait to move onto a century of goals for Paris Saint-Germain.

France prodigy Mbappe reached 99 goals across all competitions for PSG when he scored a double against his former club Monaco in a 3-2 defeat on November 20.

He failed to find the net in three appearances – against RB Leipzig, Bordeaux and Manchester United – before adding gloss to a 3-1 win over Montpellier in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

With Moise Kean having thumped PSG into the lead in the 77th minute, Mbappe came on to score with his only attempt and wrap up the points for Thomas Tuchel's side in stoppage time.

"I knew my statistics, yes. It had been a few matches that I wanted to score the 100th," he told Canal+.

"This one wasn't the hardest. It's a liberation, especially at a big club like this and all the great players who have been here. When I signed here, I never thought I'd score 100 goals so quickly. It was a long-term objective.

"Thank you to my team-mates and to the club for giving me confidence, whether in good times or bad. Thank you to everyone who works there.

"I think I can score even more, offer more assists. It will come with time. I'm feeling better and better and going through matches will allow me to be even better physically."

Mbappe is joint fourth, alongside Dominique Rocheteau, in the list of PSG's leading goalscorers, behind Pauleta (109), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (156) and Edinson Cavani (200).

"Score 200 goals with PSG? Who knows," said Mbappe, who has often been linked with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona. "I never would have thought of 100 goals! You just have to think about the next game.

"It's been three and a half years, and I've been through a lot here. It's great to have the support of the people."

The 21-year-old has netted 74 of his 100 PSG goals in France's top flight, with a further 13 strikes coming in the Champions League, though he has not scored in Europe in nine matches.

His remaining 13 goals have come in France's domestic cup competitions and the Trophee des Champions, while he has only scored from outside the box in Ligue 1 on three occasions

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta says he has learned from Jose Mourinho after watching his Tottenham counterpart in the team's documentary series. 

Spurs were the focus of an Amazon series which followed them throughout the 2019-20 campaign and was released this year.

Arteta confirmed that he has watched the show and gained some insight from the successful coach ahead of their clash on Sunday.

"Very interesting. It is great to see the inside of other football clubs, other ideas, other coaches, other organisations," he told reporters at a press conference ahead of the north London derby.

"I like to see that - I do that with other sports as well because there are a lot of things you can take, and as well a manager like Mourinho that has been in many different countries, in all of them he has been successful so there is a why to that.

"There are some important moments in that documentary when you can pick some relevant things of why he is getting the success that he is getting."

The former Gunners midfielder has been impressed by the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid coach's ruthlessness and the way he deals with tough periods.

"Normally I like two things. First of all, the head coach, the manager, whoever it is, what he needs to create is a level of engagement with the players and the club and fans, and a level of belief that what his ideas are they get a big buy in to him. If you don't get that, you won't last long," Arteta added. 

"Mourinho has something really special, that whatever he wants to get into the football club, he manages to do it and he believes that in a way that players at the end they execute what he wants to do. And whoever doesn't do it is not part of that. When I talk about being ruthless it is not only on the pitch but as well with some decisions that you have to make.

"And the second one I would say is how you navigate some difficult moments. All these managers have had difficult moments. I have been part of a coaching staff with difficult moments. The important point is how you react in difficult moments and how the club fans react in difficult moments."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Chelsea are the current favourites to win the Premier League this season.

The Blues are first in the English top-flight after they beat Leeds 3-1 on Saturday and have a one-point lead over reigning champions Liverpool and Tottenham, who play on Sunday.

Klopp believes the London side are the biggest threat to his side's title defence but was quick to stress the Reds remain focused on themselves.

"If I watch games then I see that Tottenham are obviously doing pretty well, that Chelsea for me in the moment look like the favourites," he told reporters. 

"They have the bigger squad, great players, they're playing well. Now they are full on and have unbelievable opportunities to change [the team] between the games and from one game to the other. That's it.

"Pressure is there but it's about yourself. The pressure is there to win the game and we want to win against Wolves [on Sunday]. We play only Wolves this weekend and nobody else, so all the others can play against each other or not and then they will collect points.

"It's always like this. It's much too early to think about who is ahead of who or whatever. It's just the situation.

"I said it before, this season is not about setting a target and going for it, it's about getting through it with the best possible football you can play – and that's what we try to do.

"That differs from weekend to midweek sometimes because of some circumstances, but it's still the target for us all the time. Be fully focused on the next game, the next opponent, especially not that early about other results."

Diogo Jota has been in incredible form since joining the Reds from Wolves in September, scoring nine times in 15 appearances for the Anfield outfit.

Klopp has been impressed by the 24-year-old's form and is happy with the way he has blended with fellow stars Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

"He's doing exceptionally well at the moment, absolutely," he said. "But to keep that standard we have to work really hard, we have to keep him in a good shape, score goals because the other boys do that usually. That's clear.

"For us, the most important thing was that we don't have to bite our nails pretty much in each game and hope they somehow come through and we can bring them in the next game again – especially not in this season.

"That's not a real lateral situation because it's only one player and, how I said, it's the only line – the front three line – where we have more players than we can line up in one game, I would say.

"All other positions are pretty much, who can walk will play or will be a kid. Both is fine. But there's nothing bad in that situation. Who they are, they wouldn't be where they are if they couldn't deal with a situation like that.

"They are completely fine with Diogo and Diogo is fine with them. They are overly happy that he had that brilliant start, as I am obviously. But now that's already gone and we have to carry on."

David Okereke was Club Brugge’s hero in their 1-0 triumph over Sint-Truiden in Saturday’s Belgian topflight encounter.

Having replaced compatriot Emmanuel Dennis in 53rd minute, the 23-year-old made his presence felt four minutes later by scoring the fixture’s only goal.

With Club Brugge travelling to Rome for Tuesday’s Champions League outing versus AS Roma, manager Philippe Clement rested some of his key players. Clinton Mata’s place was taken by Ignace Van der Brempt, while Eduard Sobol replaced Uruguayan star Federico Ricca in the starting XI.

The hosts started the game brightly and had the first chance at goal when Sobol found his way into the visitors’ goal area but he could not beat goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt.

Few minutes later, on loan Ajax forward Noa Lang failed to connect to a cross from Hans Vanaken, while Simon Mignolet was forced to make a brilliant save off Duckens Nazon’s corner kick.

Clement’s men swarmed Sint-Truiden’s half, yet, their efforts yielded no goal as the Canaries maintained an impressive defensive approach.

Before the half-time break, Mignolet produced a stunning save to clear away Pol Garcia’s well-taken free-kick.

At the beginning of the second half, another chance appeared for the home team, but Lang blasted his effort wide. In dire need of goals, Okereke came on for Dennis in the 53rd minute and he justified his inclusion with a fine strike.

The Nigerian was played by Lang and he made no mistakes slotting the ball past goalkeeper Schmidt. Club Brugge came close to scoring more goals but were halted by Schmidt’s impressive goalkeeping.

With no goals scored in the remaining minutes, Stef Van Winckel’s men crumbled to their eighth defeat of the 2020-21 Belgian First Division A campaign.

Cote d'Ivoire's Odilon Kossounou was in action from start to finish, while Angola’s Mata was brought in as a replacement for Der Brempt with ten minutes left to play.

For the visitors, Angola international Jonathan Buatu saw every minute of action as Guinea’s Mory Konate came off for Christopher Durkin with 20 minutes left to play. Ghana’s Samuel Asamoah was substituted for Alexander Filippov with 14 minutes left to play.

After facing Lazio, Club Brugge continue their march towards a 17th league title with a visit to Royal Antwerp while Sint-Truiden welcome Sporting Charleroi to Stayen.

Thomas Muller was not thinking about the possibility of a Germany recall after helping Bayern Munich retain their place at the top of the Bundesliga.

Scrutiny of Joachim Low's decision to drop Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels from his Germany squad last year has been under intense scrutiny following their 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain in November.

Low became only the third Germany manager to concede six goals in a match after Otto Nerz and Sepp Herberger, with his team now having won just three of their past eight fixtures.

Muller has enjoyed a resurgence since being cast aside by Low, supplying a Bundesliga record 21 assists as Hansi Flick's side took the title as part of a treble in 2019-20.

The 31-year-old scored twice during Bayern's entertaining 3-3 draw with RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, salvaging a point that stopped Julian Nagelsmann's side displacing them at the summit.

Asked about a return the national team, Muller told Sky: "That's a topic that is very far away for me. I'm trying to help the team I'm on the field with.You can talk about it as much as you like. I'll stick with it and then we'll see what happens.

"The DFB decided [to keep Low on as coach], so all Germans have to stand behind this decision and do everything to ensure we get things going again. And with Joachim Low, we are going to get things going again."

After Christopher Nkunku's opener, Muller added to Jamal Musiala's equaliser to put Bayern in control against Leipzig.

However, Justin Kluivert and Emil Forsberg turned the match around again, with Muller's second in the 75th minute only enough for a point.

The Bayern forward was pleased to have scored a brace, but with only Angelino (31) surrendering possession on more occasions than him (24), he acknowledged it was not a flawless display.

"I lost too many balls today. Of course I'm happy and satisfied – you don't always score two goals," said Muller. "We know that we can come back from behind. In the end we have to live with the draw."

All three Bayern goals were set up by Kingsley Coman, earning the winger special praise from Hansi Flick.

"There are few others in his position who have his quality," said Flick.

"We have to be satisfied [with the result]. It was important that we didn't lose. It was a wild game. We generally have to improve as a team. I don't criticise individual players."

Frank Lampard was happy to see Christian Pulisic score for Chelsea in the 3-1 win against Leeds on Saturday after a difficult start to the season for the winger.

Pulisic came off the bench to replace the injured Hakim Ziyech in the first-half of the Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge and went on to net his side's third goal of the game.

The 22-year-old made just his fifth league appearance of the season, having faced spells on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury and further fitness issues.

Lampard expects the United States international to get stronger as the campaign goes on after scoring his first top-flight goal of 2020-21.

“Really pleased today. It’s been a difficult period for him with the injury and he gets frustrated because he wants to play," Lampard said at his post-match press conference.

"Having played 65 minutes in Seville I knew this game would have a huge amount of energy for the players and thought it was wise to start him on the bench.

"My plan was probably to give him 30 minutes, but to play the period of the game he played, with the intensity of the game and get his goal. He has an incredible gift, it sounds simple, but arriving in the six-yard box as a wide man, because that is where the goals are.

"So I was delighted that he got his goal and he is only going to get stronger now."

Chelsea are top of the table after their latest victory and a point ahead of Tottenham and Liverpool, who both play on Sunday.

Lampard hopes his side can maintain their consistency and protect their place as one of the title contenders.

"There’s certainly nothing wrong with the fans thinking that [we can win the title]. Great to have them back, their input was huge, the noise huge," he said. "You can see how excited they are at the end that we are top of the league.

"My job and our job is to know that it’s a long season and the next question is how consistent can we be with this form, how much we can improve, because I believe there is a lot more we can do and there will be a lot of challenges ahead.

"Enjoy the evening. I will have that small glass of wine, maybe a large one, but at the same time we need to make sure we stay grounded.

"But there were a lot of good things. To play against Leeds in the form they are in and the type of team they are and dominate in terms of chances was a real great performance from us."

Barcelona's 2-1 loss against Cadiz on Saturday has sealed their worst start to a La Liga season since 1987-88. 

Ronald Koeman's side currently have just 14 points after 10 games of the new league campaign with the club last accruing less than that at this stage 32 years ago, when they picked up 13. 

Cadiz, who have now beaten both Real Madrid and Barcelona this season after being promoted, were gifted the three points on Saturday after a defensive error allowed Alvaro Negredo to score a simple winner in the 63rd minute. 

Barcelona had equalised via an own goal just six minutes prior, having first fallen behind in the eighth minute after Alvaro Gimenez opened the scoring for Cadiz. 

The result leaves Koeman's side stuck in seventh in the La Liga table - 12 points shy of league leaders Atletico Madrid who remain the only club yet to lose this season. 

Having seen Barca win their past three matches in convincing fashion, Koeman conceded their loss against Cadiz was a significant step backwards. 

"We can't concede a second goal like that. It's a lack of concentration. It's hard to explain what happened because we had a good week," Koeman said post-match.

"I think the first-half wasn't good. We lost a lot of balls. There was a little improvement in the second half.

"It's a giant step backwards to be able to compete for La Liga. I'm very disappointed. They [Atletico Madrid] are many points away. If we do not improve the attitude away from home, there is nothing else to say." 

Midfielder Sergio Busquets added: "This year we had individual mistakes that have cost us a lot of points. Today it happened to us again.

"Recent games have greatly penalised individual errors. It is not an attitude problem. In the Champions League, the team looks like another one. I can't tell you why, if I knew, we'd try to correct it."

Barcelona director Guillermo Amor stressed the club won't let the Cadiz defeat deter them with silverware still a focus moving forward.

"The objectives remain the same. What happened today, we will encounter it more times during the year," he said. 

Olivier Giroud says he is “playing with serenity” after he continued his fine goalscoring form in Chelsea’s 3-1 win against Leeds.

The France striker now has six goals in his last four appearances for the Blues after his 27th-minute strike cancelled out Patrick Bamford’s early opener for Leeds at Stamford Bridge.

It was his first Premier League start of the season having retained his place in the side after scoring all four goals in the midweek Champions League win at Sevilla.

Stretching back into the last campaign, Giroud has now scored in his last six Premier League starts for Chelsea, the first player to do so since October 2001 and at 34 years and 66 days, is the oldest player to achieve such a feat in Premier League history.

Having also netted a last minute winner in the 2-1 victory at Rennes the previous week, Giroud admits he is full of confidence right now.

"I feel good and confident. I play with serenity,” he told Sky Sports. “I had the opportunity to score again today and help the team.

“I am happy for the squad and the staff. We work hard in training. We have faith in our gameplan and get better and better. The confidence is here and we want to keep that."

Second half goals from Kurt Zouma and Christian Pulisic sealed the win for Frank Lampard’s side and was enough to send them top of the table, though they were made to work hard against a Leeds side who have won plenty of plaudits since returning to the top flight this season.

Giroud was certainly impressed by Marcelo Bielsa’s side, though he was delighted to get the win for the 2,000 Chelsea fans, who were watching live inside Stamford Bridge for the first time since March following a relaxation of UK government coronavirus restrictions.

"We really wanted to win for [the fans] and carry on the good momentum,” he added. “Honestly, we were not surprised to face this team because we knew their qualities.

"We conceded early and wanted to bounce back straight away. [Leeds] were one of the best teams I have faced since a few months. Physically they run everywhere. It was so hard. It's a great feeling to win tonight and they drew against Man City and lost just to Liverpool. They really impress me. They are a good team.”

Sporting director Leonardo has played down speculation linking Paris Saint-Germain with a sensational move for Lionel Messi.

The 32-year-old’s future  is the subject of intense scrutiny as it looks increasingly likely he will move on from Barcelona in the summer.

Messi is into the final year of his contract at Camp Nou and, having expressed his desire to leave earlier this year, it seems a new deal is unlikely, meaning he would be able to leave on a free transfer.

Brazil attacker Neymar revealed last week that he would love to be reunited with Messi, having played alongside him to devastating affect at the Camp Nou between 2013 and 2017.

That inevitably sparked frenzied rumours linking PSG with a move for Barca’s all-time top scorer, though Leonardo was keen to downplay the significance of Neymar’s remarks.

“No. You know, it's normal for Neymar to say that to an Argentinian journalist. He had to talk about Messi. It's normal,” he told Canal+ .

“We have to maintain respect for others. He's a Barcelona player. When somebody talks about our players, we are not happy. So we don't touch other people's players. Now is not the time to think about the transfer window.

“We are very happy with the squad we have. We are thinking of our season and the end of the first part of the season, which was very complicated.

“We have to stay focused on our goals such as qualifying for last 16 in the Champions League. And also we have to think about Ligue 1, and avoid finding ourselves in a complicated situation. Let's keep our focus.”

Leonardo’s comments struck a similar tone to that of PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who was also keen to distance himself from an imminent bid when he was asked about a move for Messi last week.

Barca boss Ronald Koeman was also keen to play down rumours surrounding his star striker, though he did express his frustration at comments by interim club president Carlos Tusquets, who said the club should have cashed-in on Messi last summer rather than risk losing him for nothing next year.

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has revealed the club is making progress as they look to tie Kylian Mbappe down to a new deal. 

The 21-year-old's current contract expires in 2022 with PSG eager to secure an extension to ward off interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

While there was some doubt over whether Mbappe would remain in Paris , the Ligue 1 giants are making headway with their star attacker as talks continue heading into the new year. 

"We're talking. We want to discuss, and he also wants to discuss. Now is also the time to come to a clearer idea of his future," Leonardo told Canal+ on Saturday.

"It is going well. We have taken steps forward compared to 10, 15 days ago and we will continue." 

On the pitch, Mbappe is without a goal in his past three appearances for PSG , failing to score from any of his nine shots in those games and hitting the target only twice.

The 2018 World Cup winner has also now gone nine games without a goal in the Champions League, though his manager Thomas Tuchel isn't concerned. 

"We will have to decide on that today. In my head there are several different possibilities," Tuchel said on Friday. 

"We have to make decisions for Tuesday as well. We may have some changes to make, but for Kylian personally, I am calm.

"For me he had a good game [against United], a better game than in matches he has scored in. He put in a lot of effort both in an attacking and defensive sense. He had a bit of bad luck with his chance, but it will come for him. He should stay calm because I am also very calm."

Ex-Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has recently urged his former club to sign Mbappe next summer with Los Blancos seemingly in need of an attacking spark. 

"Without a doubt, Mbappe is the player most desired by all and it would be great news for our team," Calderon told Goal .

"He is a player who, being very young, has already managed to attract the attention of all the fans and presumably his best moment is yet to come.

"What the big clubs always need is to have the best players in their primes, regardless of their age."