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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang needs support from Arsenal players to rediscover his goalscoring form, according to club legend Gilberto Silva.

The Arsenal ace has only scored two goals in 10 Premier League games this season, with his last strike dating back to November 1 when he scored the match-winner in their 1-0 victory over Manchester United.

Last Sunday, Aubameyang fired blanks in the Gunners' 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers which moved them down to 14th on the Premier League table with 13 points from 10 games.

The Gabon star received fewer passes from his teammates (8) against Wolves than goalkeeper Bernd Leno (9) despite playing as a central striker.

Ahead of the North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Silva thinks the 2015 Africa Footballer of the Year needs good service from his teammates to make chances easier for him in front of goal.

"There’s no doubt for me that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a fantastic player," the 44-year-old told Ladbrokes. "He has been so great for Arsenal since he joined the club.

"In the last few games he hasn’t performed in the way everyone has expected in comparison to last season. But it’s time for everyone to stick together and support the guy.

"Make his life easier. Pass him the ball. He has to be more involved in the game. Look for him, get it to him on the floor, where he can face players one-on-one.

"Give him a good ball to work with. If you watch the last game against Wolves, there were a lot of crosses coming in for him, and it was tough for him against the Wolves defence, where everyone was very well positioned.

"But if his teammates can make his life easier, then I have no doubt he can make as big an impact as he did last season.”

Chelsea goal hero Kurt Zouma has expressed delight at his impact from set-pieces, saying he knows he "can be a threat" in the opposition penalty area.

Zouma notched his fourth goal of the season during Chelsea's 3-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday night.

Patrick Bamford gave the visitors a surprise lead when he rounded Edouard Mendy before tapping into an empty net with just four minutes on the clock. Chelsea hit back just before the half-hour mark when Olivier Giroud turned home a Reece James cross at the near post, ensuring that the two sides went in level at the break.

The hosts pushed hardest for the winning goal in the second period, and were rewarded for their efforts when Zouma headed past Illan Meslier after rising highest to meet a Mason Mount corner in the 61st minute.

Substitute Christian Pulisic rounded off the scoring in stoppage time after being teed up by Timo Werner, leaving the Blues now sitting top of the table after 11 fixtures, albeit having played a game more than Tottenham and Liverpool.

Zouma's contribution in the final third has been greater than expected in the early stages of the season, and the Frenchman says his improved output is down to the hard work he's been putting in on the training pitch.

"I’m trying to help the team as much as I can. I know I can be a threat from set-pieces. I work hard in training and I have got the technical staff to help me with that," the 26-year-old told Chelsea's official website. "We know this season we can score many goals, from open play but also set-pieces. It’s working at the minute but we have to keep going like that."

Zouma added on the Blues' latest victory: "Everyone is happy. We knew it was going to be difficult. Leeds are a great team and they scored very early in the game, but we kept the belief and kept playing our game. 

"We deserved more in the first half, we had more chances, but it finished 3-1 and, by the way, I’m happy to score another goal!

Asked how it felt to see supporters make their long-awaited return amid the coronavirus pandemic, Zouma responded: "It was nice to hear some noise from the crowd and see them back at Stamford Bridge. They gave us a lot of support. Hopefully the stadium will be full as soon as possible so we can keep celebrating together."

Caf has called off Sunday's Confederation Cup match pitting Namungo FC and Al-Rabita that was to be played at Chamazi Complex.

The decision by the African football governing body has been made after South Sudan failed to facilitate matters around the officials who were expected to oversee the game.

Caf, has, however, failed to reveal whether the game will be given another new date after the Sunday cancellation.

“The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has called off the Confederation Cup match between Al-Rabita and Namungo FC that was to be played on December 6,” a statement by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) obtained by Goal read.

“Caf has made the decision after South Sudan Football Federation (SSFA) failed to facilitate the technicalities involving the match officials.

“The match had been planned to be played in Juba, South Sudan but SSFA requested the game to be hosted in Dar es Salaam. The request had been accepted by Caf.”

The Tanzanian side, who recently appointed Hemed Morocco as head coach in place of Thierry Hitimana, after a string of poor results, enjoy a 3-0 advantage from the first leg.

South Sudan does not have a stadium that meets Fifa and Caf standards and that is the reason, coupled with travel restrictions emanating from the coronavirus pandemic, that necessitated the SSFA’s request to have the game be played in Tanzania.

The national team, the Bright Stars, also had to engage Uganda in Nairobi for the African Cup of Nations qualifier in November.

Earlier, Namungo’s information officer Kindamba Namlia revealed the kind of preparations they had before the Sunday game but they now have to wait for long before Caf gives the way forward.

“After the past match, the coach complained about lack of efficiency when it comes to netting goals and so far, he has worked a lot on that area in order to score more goals than we did in the previous tie,” Namlia said.

“We consider them [Al-Rabita] as our opponent we need to defeat to sail through to the other side of the competition.

“They are winners of Federation Cup in their country as such, they are not as simple as many people see them.”

Namungo are participating in the Caf competition for the first time.

Inter Milan wing-back Achraf Hakimi has dedicated his two goals in his team's 3-1 win over Bologna to Morocco defender Mohamed Abarhoun, who died on Wednesday.

Abarhoun passed away in an Istanbul hospital during the week after a long battle with stomach cancer which forced him into retirement earlier this year.

The 31-year-old last played for Rizespor until February when he was diagnosed with cancer while in a Turkish Super Lig game.

Tributes came in from across the world for the Morocco international, who played for the North African nation at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa.

After finding the back of the net in each half of the Nerazzurri's comfortable home victory over Bologna on Saturday, Hakimi paid his respects to the Tetouan-born defender by displaying a shirt which had ‘Abarhoun’ written on it.

The 22-year-old later took to social media to dedicate his first-ever brace in Serie A to his compatriot.

“Happy for the win and for the two goals. It's for you Mohamed Abarhoun,” Hakimi tweeted.

Since he joined Inter on a five-year deal from Real Madrid in the summer, Hakimi has made 14 appearances across all competitions with a contribution of three goals and four assists so far.

Next up for Hakimi and Conte's men is a must-win Uefa Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday to boost their chances of advancing to the knockout stage.

The Italian giants sit at the bottom of Group B with five points after five games – three points behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach, two points behind Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid, who sit in the second and third spots, respectively.

Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has tipped Mohamed Elneny to play a key role in Mikel Arteta's team because of his consistent performances.

Since he returned from a season-long loan at Besiktas in the summer, the former Basel player has produced fine performances for Arsenal in five Premier League appearances this season.

The 28-year-old Egyptian is in contention to feature in the middle of the park when the Gunners visit Tottenham Hotspur for Sunday's North London derby with Thomas Partey still a doubt due to a thigh injury.

Silva, who was part of the Invincibles, believes Arsenal need a stable presence in the midfield and Elneny fits the role.

"Before they signed Thomas Partey, I’d spoken many times about Arsenal’s need to bring in another central midfielder, and they’re unlucky their new signing has been out with an injury recently," Silva told Ladbrokes. "But Granit Xhaka has been the regular player in that position in the last couple of years.

"But Partey played alongside Mohamed Elneny in Arsenal’s game against Manchester United a few weeks ago and I thought they worked really well as a partnership, despite the fact that they’re not the kind of players who get that much credit for the jobs they do – Elneny especially.

"But I think he can be a key player for Arsenal this year. He’s not an inconsistent player, he always performs well and in that role you need someone who is going to consistently do a job for the team.

"It’s an area of the pitch where you need stability, and I think that Elneny could be the player who fits that role alongside Xhaka or Partey.

"Every good team is very strong at the back, that back three or back four, and then equally as strong in the middle of the pitch. After that, you worry about the forward players.

"Arsenal have the forward players who are capable of performing well and scoring goals, but they need to strengthen the middle part of the field."

The former Brazil international also made a case for Lucas Torreira, who has been sent out on loan to Atletico Madrid after struggling to find a regular playing spot in Arteta's squad.

He added: "I think Lucas Torreira had a good start to his career at Arsenal. He played some really good games, but then last season he played some not-so-good games and was dropped to the bench as a result.

"In the end he moved to Atletico Madrid on loan but I still believe he has a chance at Arsenal. At some point players will believe they don’t have a chance at a team – especially when a new manager comes in – but Torreira definitely has quality. He’s a great player.”

Thomas Tuchel says he is hopeful Kylian Mbappe can go on a scoring streak after finally reaching 100 goals for Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbappe had been waiting to seal his place in PSG's hall of fame since netting his 98th and 99th goals for the club during their 3-2 defeat to Monaco on November 20.

The World Cup winner drew blanks in Champions League wins over RB Leipzig and Manchester United, and also failed to bring up his century during a 2-2 draw with Bordeaux, but finally reached his long-awaited milestone during the clash with Montpellier on Saturday.

Mbappe found the net in stoppage time to round off a 3-1 win for Tuchel's side at Stade de la Mosson, becoming the fifth player to score 100 goals in PSG history in the process.

The 21-year-old is now level with Dominique Rocheteau in the club's all-time scoring list, with only Pauleta (109), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (156) and Edinson Cavani (200) sitting above him, but he has reached the landmark in far fewer games than all four men - 137.

Mbappe had faced criticism in some quarters after a three-game scoreless streak, but Tuchel has been pleased with his overall performances and would like to see him kick on when PSG play host to Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"His life is not too difficult, is it? He had a good game in Manchester. In other matches, he had scored and I was less satisfied with him," the German head coach said of his star centre-forward after the win at Montpellier.

"If he continues to work I am very calm. Today I can only say 'congratulations'. All forwards need goals and I hope we will continue on Tuesday."

Tuchel also reserved praise for Rafinha, who has made a bright start to his PSG career following a permanent move to Parc des Princes from Barcelona in the summer transfer window.

"I like the guy. I have known Rafinha for many years," he said. "I watched him and his brother (Thiago Alcantara) at Barcelona. He's an extraordinary guy, with a lot of intelligence, super humble, pleasant, always attentive. It shows its quality. 

"He had a good match in Manchester. He's having an amazing new game and I'm very happy for him."

The PSG boss added on his side's improved form in recent weeks and the importance of maintaining those high standards against Istanbul: "We had two very high-level matches, we played with everyone, with good energy, a lot of quality. The energy on the bench was very positive too. 

"If we are able to stay in the game, to suffer together, to sacrifice ourselves, to remain disciplined and strong physically, we are a very strong team. 

"It was necessary to confirm today. Starting tomorrow, we will analyse this match. In sport, you have to keep going and that's the challenge."

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer believes that his side lacked some luck to break down Cape Town City following a myriad of scoring opportunities that went abegging in the 2-2 draw at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday.

It was another come-from-behind result for Pirates for the third straight match as they also recorded the fourth draw in six Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches.

Cape Town City took the lead twice through Mduduzi Mdantsane and defender Abbubaker Mobara but Pirates hit back via a brace from Vincent Pule.

“I think the first half was most of the time good in the shape, we lead in the most of minutes in the game,” Zinnbauer told SuperSport TV.

“But it’s football, you have a lot of chances in the first half, you can win this game in the first half. And the second half was I think totally clear, totally clear.

“I think City had one, two, three counter-attacks but I can’t think of more. But we have also a lot of chances but you need then the luck but we have this day no luck.”

Pirates were twice denied by the woodwork in their bid to claim the lead.

With Zakhele Lepasa guilty for blowing most of their scoring opportunities, Zinnbauer responded by pulling him off for Tshegofatso Mabasa, who was a big threat for City as he twice came very close to thrusting the Soweto giant ahead.

Also Frank Mhango’s introduction fired up Pirates’ attack, but still, the finishing touch was their biggest let down.

“I think you see two post shots, a lot of chances. I think together maybe twelve or 50 I don’t know what we have for option to scoring,” said Zinnbauer.

“If you don’t score then you cannot win a game. We had the tactical hundred percent in the game and shape we needed for the game. Also, it was not easy against City, we know this like a good game, good team with ball possession, with defending structures.

"But we found always a solution and it was a very good structure but in the final goal was not and today but we are on the right direction. This was a top performance today and we don’t have the full three points.”

Pirates will now switch attention to the MTN8 final where they meet Bloemfontein Celtic at Moses Mabhida next Saturday.

Winning it would be their first piece of silverware since they lifted the 2014 Nedbank Cup.

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).

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.

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."

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."

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.

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."

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been in the news lately after its decision to approach the Supreme Court (SC) of India to seek an extension of term for the current Executive Committee. 

The committee’s term is set to end on 21st December 2020 but the lack of a Constitution that purportedly does not conform to the National Sports Code has meant that the Indian FA are unable to hold elections to form the next Executive Committee. 

In such a case, there was a possibility that the court would appoint an ad-hoc committee to take charge of the Indian FA till the elections are held. One of the reasons AIFF approached the court was to ensure they do not receive a ban from FIFA which does not take kindly to such judicial interference. 

Goal has learnt that the AIFF has kept the FIFA, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in the loop over the developments. By making sure the governing bodies of football and Olympic sports in India are aware of the legal wrangle, AIFF are trying to ensure they do not run foul of any sort of retribution.

The issue kicked off in October 2017 when the Delhi High Court (HC) annulled the last AIFF elections which were held in December 2016 when Praful Patel was elected as the President. The Delhi HC stated that the elections were held without following the then newly-implemented National Sports Code and appointed former Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi as an independent administrator to look after the AIFF’s affairs until fresh elections were held.  

The AIFF went on to approach the Supreme Court against the decision, arguing that India was in danger of being de-recognised by FIFA which only allows an elected body to run an affiliated FA. 

The Supreme Court duly stayed the High Court’s ruling in November 2017 but appointed two ombudsmen (Qureshi and former India goalkeeper Bhaskar Ganguly) to formulate a new AIFF constitution within eight weeks and then conduct elections. The court allowed the current Executive Committee members to discharge their duties till then. 

However, the new constitution hasn't been filed in court yet, even after three years. 

It is also believed that the state associations have also written to AIFF, seeking clarity on the elections. It must be noted that AIFF had already sent them a letter, informing them of its decision to approach the court. 

As far as Indian football is concerned, the next few years are very important. India is set to host the 2022 U17 Women’s World Cup (after the 2020 event was cancelled) and the 2022 AFC Women’s Asia Cup. India has also bid for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup hosting rights. 

Japan's Kensuke Nagai believes the experience of playing the 2020 AFC Champions League in 2022 FIFA World Cup venue Education City Stadium will enable him to pass on valuable local intelligence to his predominantly Europe-based Samurai Blue team-mates.

Nagai has made 10 international appearances. Importantly, three of them have come in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup where Hajime Moriyasu’s side are comfortably placed as leaders of Group F having secured the maximum of 12 points from four games. The 31-year-old has also been on the scoresheet once during the three matches.

Japan, who are Asia’s top-ranked side, had reached the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and were leading the world’s top-ranked side Belgium 2-0 with a little over 20 minutes remaining. But they could not capitalise on the advantage as they conceded three goals to crash out in what was widely acknowledged as one of the best matches of the tournament.

With home continent Asia set to host the 2022 edition of the World Cup, the ‘Samurai Blue’ will be hoping to go deep into the tournament riding on the performances of the glittering array of the young generation of Europe-based attacking talent at their disposal.

Liverpool FC’s Takumi Minamino has already scored five goals in four 2022 World Cup qualifiers. His supporting cast of Real Madrid loanee, ‘wunderkind’ Takefusa Kubo, Porto’s Shoya Nakajima and Partizan Belgrade’s Takuma Asano and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Daichi Kamada have been too hot to handle for weaker group opponents.

From the friendlies that have been played since the resumption of football after the outbreak of COVID, there are enough indications Moriyasu’s side could well be a formidable force for tougher defensive sides of Asia as well as the ones they will face in Qatar in 2022 should Japan secure its berth in its seventh consecutive FIFA World Cup since France 1998.

Addressing media ahead of his club’s East Zone Quarterfinal against Beijing Guoan on Sunday, Nagai emphasised that playing a 2022 FIFA World Cup venue during the ongoing 2020 AFC Champions League has endowed him with a rich repository of experiences to be carried forward to 2022 and potentially shared with his gifted team-mates.

"The matches that I have played in the 2022 World Cup stadium [Education City Stadium] have given me unique experience. I hope I can continue to play well in the World Cup qualifiers and get selected in the national team in 2022. If so, I will definitely pass on my insights to my team-mates," said Nagai, who played in the first three of his team’s four group matches, all in the same stadium, and scoring in one.

It must be noted that many members of Japan’s current golden generation, including Minamino, Nakajima, Asano and defensive players Wataru Endo and Naomichi Ueda, first broke into the continental spotlight by winning the 2016 AFC U-23 Championships in Qatar.

However, that tournament was hosted when the three fully complete 2022 FIFA World Cup venues, now hosting the 2020 AFC Champions League, were still under construction.

Education City Stadium, called the ‘Diamond in the Desert’ due to its design, was formally inaugurated by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) in June 2020 through a virtual ceremony dedicated to the country’s healthcare professionals and frontline workers.

The 40,000-capacity venue, which will host matches through to the quarterfinal of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, had hosted its first match - a Qatar Stars League (QSL) game - on 3 September.

The stadium was then used, along with the other two fully complete 2022 venues Khalifa International Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium, during the 2020 AFCChampions League with Qatar hosting both West Zone and East Zone legs held in centralised formats instead of the traditional home-and-away one.