International break: Best and worst Premier League players including Viktor Gyokeres, Josko Gvardiol

The first of FIFA's new super-sized international windows delivered chaos across the continent, from Harry Kane equalling Peter Shilton's record of 125 England caps with a brace against the Czech Republic to Cristiano Ronaldo walking out on Portugal, only for Jorge Jesus's side to win all Nations League matches without him.

Jurgen Klopp's Germany suffered a first-ever defeat to Greece, Zinedine Zidane's France plundered four goals in the final 13 minutes to sink Belgium, Erling Haaland's Norway lost three on the spin and Scotland are still waiting for a first Hampden win under Sebastien Pocognoli.

Now the circus folds its tent and the Premier League roars back into life on Saturday, with defending champions Arsenal hosting unbeaten Leeds United before Sunday's Anfield blockbuster between Liverpool and a Manchester City side sitting top of the table but reeling from the independent commission's guilty verdict.

Here, Sports Mole picks out the three Premier League stars who return to their clubs with their stock soaring and the three who will be glad to see the back of the international break.

The Winners

Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden / Arsenal)

Sports Mole Rating: 9/10

Four matches, four goals, 10 points and top spot in Group B4. Whatever has been ailing Viktor Gyokeres in Borth London, it did not travel to Scandinavia.

The striker opened his account by turning in a rebound before half-time in the 2-1 win over Romania, volleyed home Jesper Walemark's cross to put the 3-1 victory over Poland beyond doubt, rifled an emphatic finish into the roof of the net in the 1-1 draw in Zenica and then pounced inside 13 minutes in Bucharest after Sebastian Nanasi had struck the post.

That fourth goal took him to 25 for his country and made it seven successive Nations League matches in which he has found the net.

The context makes the numbers even more impressive. Alexander Isak was injured after the opening fixture, a wave of illness swept through the camp before the trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Graham Potter even switched to a 3-5-2 in Zenica.

Crucially, Gyokeres did not need volume to be decisive: he had just two shots in total against Poland and still scored, while his winner in Romania came from a chance worth 0.95 xG, showcasing a striker who knows exactly where to stand.

Domestic outlook: Gyokeres entered the break low on confidence after a stop-start opening to the season at the Emirates, where his minutes have been limited.

Mikel Arteta now faces a fascinating selection call for Saturday's lunchtime kickoff against Leeds and even subsequently.

The Swede played on Monday night in Bucharest, so freshness is a fair question, but a centre-forward who has scored in every match for a month is precisely the profile the Gunners need against a Leeds side yet to lose.

Leaving him on the bench now would be a brave decision.

Lewis Hall (England / Newcastle United)

Sports Mole Rating: 8.5/10

Unused against Spain, Lewis Hall ended the window as the man in possession of England's left-back shirt, and there is no sign of him handing it back.

Nico O'Reilly started the 3-2 home defeat to the world champions and endured a mixed afternoon, supplying the cross for Kane's goal but then misplacing the pass that allowed Alex Baena to equalise.

Thomas Tuchel turned to Hall for the trip to Prague, and the Newcastle defender delivered a FotMob rating of 8.2, combining slickly with former club-mate Anthony Gordon down the left as England won 2-0.

Hall followed that up with an assured outing in the 7-0 demolition of Croatia and then whipped in the corner that Kane headed home for England's third goal against the Czech Republic at Wembley.

Three starts, three clean sheets and a direct goal contribution in the final match.

Tuchel's 4-2-3-1 asks the left-back to provide width when the wide forward drifts inside, and Hall's timing of his overlaps gave England a balance they lacked against Spain.

Domestic outlook: Having signed a new five-year contract on September 11, Hall returns to St James' Park with his value and confidence at a career high.

Newcastle do not play until Monday, October 12, when they travel to Coventry City, which buys him an extra day of recovery.

Against a Coventry side that have scored just once in five Premier League matches, Newcastle will expect to dominate the ball and Hall's attacking thrust down the left should be a key weapon.

Bukayo Saka (England / Arsenal)

Sports Mole Rating: 8/10

This was not a vintage window from start to finish for Bukayo Saka, but it ended with exactly the boost his confidence needed.

Against Spain, the Arsenal winger registered 10 touches in the opposition box but did not complete a single successful dribble, and he was denied a potential penalty only by a perfectly timed Aymeric Laporte challenge.

There was more bite to his game in Prague, where FotMob rated him 7.2, before he exploded into life in Rijeka.

Saka side-footed England's fourth goal just before the break and added another in the 68th minute after Kane squared the ball across, finishing with a brace in a match where England racked up a staggering 6.12 xG to Croatia's 1.24.

Saka was widely rated the best player on the pitch that afternoon and could easily have had a hat-trick.

Operating on the right, he repeatedly isolated Croatia's left-sided pairing of Ivan Perisic and Josko Gvardiol, attacking the space between them with the directness that has been missing from his game in recent weeks.

Domestic outlook: Saka arrived on international duty off the back of a sticky spell in form, so two goals in a statement win could not have been better timed for Arsenal.

The defending champions host Leeds on Saturday, and the prospect of a rejuvenated Saka on the right supplying an in-form Gyokeres through the middle is a tantalising one.

With Arsenal's two leading attacking stars returning from the break on a high, the Gunners should be confident of seeing off the division's surprise package.

The Losers

Josko Gvardiol (Croatia / Manchester City)

Sports Mole Rating: 3/10

The numbers do not make for pleasant reading. Croatia began the window with a 2-1 win in Czechia, but they were then beaten 4-1 in Spain before suffering the heaviest defeat in their history, a 7-0 humiliation at the hands of England in Rijeka.

In the three matches Gvardiol featured in, Slaven Bilic's men conceded 12 goals.

The Rijeka collapse was the real horror show. Lined up as the left-sided centre-back in a 4-1-4-1, Gvardiol was part of a back four that was carved open at will as England enjoyed 64% possession, landed 10 shots on target and were four goals to the good by the interval.

Croatia's defensive line was repeatedly sliced apart on quick breaks, and the left channel occupied by Gvardiol and Perisic was where Saka did the bulk of his damage.

Domestic outlook: The timing could hardly be worse. Manchester City have won their first five league matches and sit top of the table, but the club have spent the break absorbing the independent commission's verdict on the financial charges and now head to Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool's attack will have watched the footage from Rijeka with interest, and City's coaching staff must decide whether Gvardiol needs a confidence-restoring reset or simply a return to the familiar structure of club football.

Marc Guehi (England / Manchester City)

Sports Mole Rating: 5/10

To be fair to Marc Guehi, his window ended far better than it began. The problem is that the one match that really mattered went horribly wrong.

Inside two minutes of the Wembley meeting with Spain, the Man City centre-back turned backwards into trouble when there was open space in front of him and gifted the ball to Lamine Yamal, who promptly opened the scoring.

Guehi was booked and was eventually withdrawn for Jarrad Branthwaite in the 89th minute as England chased the game.

Spain went on to win 3-2, a result that leaves Tuchel's side three points behind La Roja at the top of Group A3.

Guehi responded with composure, completing a tidy 7.7 FotMob-rated display in Prague and contributing to the build-up for Kane's opener in Rijeka.

Nevertheless, the costliest individual error of England's window was his.

Domestic outlook: Guehi, who joined City in January, will now line up alongside or in competition with Gvardiol at Anfield on Sunday, meaning Enzo Maresca's defensive unit returns with two players who have had their concentration questioned over the past fortnight.

Liverpool will press high, and a centre-back still carrying the memory of a costly turnover against Spain is exactly the kind of target Anfield's front line will hunt.

Florian Wirtz (Germany / Liverpool)

Sports Mole Rating: 4/10

Florian Wirtz went into the break needing a lift after a difficult start to life at Anfield; however, he did not get one.

Klopp introduced Wirtz as a 65th-minute substitute against Greece in Augsburg, but Germany lost 1-0 to record their first-ever defeat to the Greeks.

Wirtz was arguably the lowest-rated player on the pitch, and he was criticised locally for failing to start a single meaningful attack before skying a late chance well over the bar.

Handed the captaincy for the return in Thessaloniki, he was busier, completing 63 of 70 passes (90%), attempting five shots and creating three chances, yet he faded after the interval as Germany were held to a goalless draw.

Two appearances, no goals, no assists and two matches in which Germany failed to score. For a playmaker whose job is to unlock packed defences, that is not good enough.

Domestic outlook: Liverpool host Man City on Sunday afternoon in the biggest match of the weekend, and Wirtz's place in the side is a genuine talking point after some high-profile pundits questioned whether he should be starting.

The silver lining is that City's defence returns in fragile form, so the gaps should be there for a creative midfielder to exploit.

Whether Liverpool's coaching staff trust a player who has struggled for rhythm for club and country to find them is another matter entirely.