To any self-respecting football fan, the international break is usually nothing more than an unwelcome distraction.
However, going forward into next week’s Premier League games, plenty has happened to gauge who’s in form.
Here’s five things we learned.
5 – Liverpool have nothing to worry about when it comes to Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. Reds fans may have been uneasy when they saw both lining up for Brazil, but neither picked up knocks, and both got on the scoresheet. Coutinho is in the form of his life, so he’ll be pivotal for next week’s game against Manchester United.
4 – It’s a different story for Tottenham and Danny Rose. The left-back was supposed to be rested, but played 90 minutes for England after Ryan Bertrand was forced off. Rose still looks to be nursing a hamstring injury, so Spurs will be hoping Gareth Southgate is careful with him.
3 – West Ham won’t be abe to keep hold of Dimitri Payet much longer at this rate. The Frenchman has been one of the few highlights of their season, and scored for France to put himself back in contention for a January move.
2 – Toby Alderweireld is much more than a centre-back. The Belgian’s back-heel goal showed once again that he’s also brilliantly skilful on the ball.
1 – Wayne Rooney is finished. The England captain was booed by sections of the Wembley crowd on Saturday, and while that in itself is unlikely to sway Southgate’s decision, he must have noticed the Manchester United star’s ineffectual performance. It will take a bold England manager to drop him, though.
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