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A Tuch of confidence

Thomas Tuchel believes Raheem Sterling will go from strength to strength after opening his account for Chelsea.

England ace Sterling, 27, bagged both goals as the 10-man Blues held on to beat Leicester 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. 

And Tuchel, who served a touchline ban during the game, was delighted to see his marquee summer signing break his duck. 

He said: "He is here to score and he is never shy to say it and take this responsibility.

"It’s on us to give him the opportunities, but there is not one percent of doubt to do it because he has done it for years and years in this league. 

"He is mobile, he is dangerous, he breaks the lines. 

"He struggled a little bit with his confidence and his dribbling [against Leicester], you could see it, then we were one man down and it was not obvious he would get chances to score.

"But he got three of them and scored twice. It was super important not only for us but also for him individually."

More time required

Antonio Conte claims he needs at least two more transfer windows to transform Tottenham into genuine Premier League title challengers. 

Spurs have taken 10 points from a possible 12 so far this season following yesterday's 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest. 

But Conte admits bigger challenges are to come, particularly with the Champions League group stage beginning next week. 

He said: "Now when you have to go and play one game every three days, it’s normal to rotate. 

"And this is the period that the club can understand if we are really, really complete in the squad or maybe we could do better. 

"If you compare to last season, we are more complete. But to reach other teams at the top level, we need time, patience and transfer markets — at least two transfer markets to reach the same level."

Loan ranger

Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi is set to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the rest of the season. 

Hudson-Odoi, 21, is expected to fly to Germany today to undergo a medical before completing his temporary switch to the Bundesliga giants. 

The move had been in doubt 24 hours ago as Leverkusen reportedly wanted to insert an option to buy.

But Chelsea are not currently willing to consider selling the versatile attacker, who has not been loaned out by the Londoners until now. 

We Vill improve

Steven Gerrard insists Aston Villa will roll up their sleeves and get back on track.

Villa were booed off at Villa Park yesterday after Pablo Fornals bagged the only goal of the game to hand West Ham their first points of the season. 

The defeat also left Gerrard's men with just three points to show for their first four outings but the Liverpool legend is refusing to hit the panic button. 

He said: "We haven't got enough points on the board. I take responsibility and accountability for that, but I want to put that right and I hope my players feel the same."

Ross moves on

Ross Barkley has left Chelsea as a free agent following a disappointing spell in West London. 

Despite making 100 appearances and scoring 12 goals for the Blues following his switch from Everton in January 2018, the England midfielder struggled for consistency at Stamford Bridge.

And the club agreed a deal to settle the remainder of Barkley's contract after he found first-team chances increasingly hard to come by in the last two seasons. 

The former Toffees star's best moment in a Chelsea shirt came in his substitute appearance in the 4-1 Europa League final triumph over Arsenal in Baku in 2019.

A club statement said: "Ross Barkley has left Chelsea by mutual consent and becomes a free agent.

"The midfielder, who joined from boyhood club Everton in January 2018, made 100 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, scoring 12 goals.

"The most memorable was his injury-time equaliser against Manchester United in his first full season at the Bridge.

"At the end of that campaign he helped win the Europa League, scoring a spot-kick in the shootout victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the semis and then coming off the bench in the brilliant Baku triumph against Arsenal."

Forest cut down to size

Steve Cooper was disappointed to see Nottingham Forest come away from yesterday's clash with Tottenham empty-handed. 

The hosts gave a fine account of themelves but were unable to find a way past Hugo Lloris as a Harry Kane double sunk them at the City Ground. 

Yet Cooper remains optimistic about his side's chances of maintaining their Premier League status this season. 

The Forest boss said: "The overriding feeling is never wanting to be happy if we’re not winning. That's the mentality I want from the players. 

"That’s how we want to play. We did a lot of good things in the performance. Our build-up play was excellent. 

"What we didn’t do was the hardest bit and threaten the goal enough. We had enough opportunities to do that. 

"We had some chances we should have done better with. We should be getting efforts on goal."

In the bag

Atletico Madrid left-back Renan Lodi has joined Forest on loan until the end of the season. 

The Midlands outfit will reportedly pay an initial £4.2million loan fee for the 24-year-old Brazilian, who has also renewed his deal with Atletico until 2026.

Baker hangs up his boots

Bristol City defender Nathan Baker has announced his retirement on medical grounds. 

Baker, 31, sustained a head injury at Sheffield United last November and was hospitalised for 24 hours. 

He has been undergoing tests, treatment and recuperation since in a bid to return to action but has now been advised that doing so would prepresent a significant risk to his ongoing and future health. 

Baker said: "Football has been a massive part of my life from a very young age, so this has not been the easiest decision for me. However, I must take the advice from the medical team and consultants. 

"It’s sad to think I won't be playing football again, there are so many things I am going to miss, such as my team-mates, the friendships made, plus a good tackle! 

"But I must put my health and family first, it's not worth the risk.

"I'd like to thank all the staff at Bristol City for doing all they can to help me through this tough time. And I'd like to thank the fans who have supported me throughout my career at Bristol City and Aston Villa. 

"I'm so grateful and lucky to have had the opportunity to play for such great clubs and even represent my country. There are so many memories that will always stay with me."

The former England Under-21 international made 138 appearances for the Robins, scoring three goals in his time at Ashton Gate.

A legend returns

Xabi Alonso will return to Anfield to play for Liverpool Legends against Manchester United next month. 

The Spaniard joins the Reds for the second leg of the Legends of the North tie, which takes place on September 24. Liverpool won the first meeting 3-1 at Old Trafford in May.