As ever, Premier League managers will have been keeping an eye on the international break, partly in trepidation at potential injuries to important players and also to see how form fluctuates in another team setup. Let's look at which clubs generally won out over the past week and which ones will have concerns.
Winners
The momentum generated by the in-form Alexis Sanchez did not go off the rails while he was on Chile duty. The Arsenal attacker is top scorer with three goals after the first two games of 2018 World Cup qualifying, which maintains the form which saw him score against Manchester United and net a hat-trick at Leicester City. The only concern will be whether he is fully fit and firing after his return home.
Theo Walcott has also been impressing for the Gunners as the central striker and scored for England in their 2-0 Euro 2016 qualifier victory over Estonia, while his rival for the forward role at Arsenal, Olivier Giroud, boosted his own confidence with a brace for France against Denmark on Tuesday. Added to that, Aaron Ramsey celebrated Wales' first major championship qualification by scoring against Andorra.
And as a bonus, Arsenal fans who still hold a grudge against Robin van Persie may have delighted in the Dutchman's own goal against the Czech Republic as the Oranje confirmed their absence from Euro 2016.
So, as Arsenal prepare for a trip to Watford, Arsene Wenger will be happy to be to see that some of his key players are in form and full of confidence.
Meanwhile, Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has been establishing himself in the French senior setup, earning rave reviews for his performances during the international break. Wayne Rooney missed the international break and is expected to be fit for United's visit to Everton on Saturday which is good news for Louis van Gaal - as long as the England record goalscorer's form improves. Goalkeeper David De Gea also impressed with Spain.
Losers
The last thing Manchester City - and Fantasy Football players as discussed by Team 33's expert Eoin Sheahan - wanted was an injury to Sergio Aguero and the striker faces about a month out with a hamstring injury picked up on Argentina duty at the weekend. Wilfried Bony, who has yet to make a significant mark for City is his expected replacement which leaves a little bit of uncertainty.
Liverpool also suffered injuries - one on international duty. Teenage defender Joe Gomez, who has been prominent at the start of the season - misses the rest of the season with a serious knee injury picked up while playing for England's U21s. And the same problem has also ruled Danny Ings out of Jurgen Klopp's plans for the rest of this campaign, although his injury was not picked up in an international match.
The weeks leading up to the international break have been difficult for Chelsea, and there was no good news for manager Jose Mourinho over the break as he has been handed a stadium ban by the FA.
One positive for him is the form of Willian as one of the few players to impresse in blue this season scored twice for Brazil in the World Cup qualifier win over Venezuela on Tuesday night and he will hope the player has recovered from the trip home in time to feature in a relatively kind return on paper against struggling Aston Villa.
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