Cole Palmer mystery and 26-yr-old dazzles: Chelsea's three winners and three losers from international break
Chelsea return to action against Bournemouth this weekend after a mixed round of international fixtures for their first-team stars
Xabi Alonso's side have struggled for form in the Premier League since the season started, so he will have been glad of the extended break.
The Blues sit 10th in the top flight right now, having conceded 12 goals in their first five games of the league campaign.
Several of their first-team stars impressed for their respective countries, while some suffered tough times away from Stamford Bridge.
Cole Palmer is among those to have a disappointing few weeks after he pulled out of the England squad and was criticised by Thomas Tuchel.
Football Insider have picked out three winners and three losers from the Chelsea squad over the break.
Maxence Lacroix enjoyed his time away from Chelsea with France
Lacroix has gone from strength to strength since joining Chelsea and is now a regular starter for his country after playing a backup role at the World Cup.
The 26-year-old played the full 90 minutes in three of France's first four Nations League fixtures, with their only points dropped coming when he was rested against Italy.
Morgan Rogers impressed on England duty, scoring his second goal for his country against Croatia and providing a delightful assist for Harry Kane against Czechia on Tuesday.
The Blues forward is set to return to West London brimming with confidence, with three goals and five assists in his last nine appearances for club and country.
Another winner from Alonso's squad was Pedro Neto, who made three consecutive starts for Portugal in wins over Wales, Norway and Denmark.
The 26-year-old created seven chances and picked up an assist across those outings, and did well in his preferred wing role, as opposed to the wing-back position that Alonso has thrust him into this season.
Palmer's England hopes have taken a huge hit
Palmer was set to play a key role for England as Tuchel called on him to return to his squad after missing out on the World Cup.
His decision to withdraw due to managing minutes did not go down well with the Three Lions manager, who insisted that he "misses too many opportunities" to feature for his country.
He is expected to be fit to face Bournemouth, but could have severely damaged his international hopes even further.
Jorrel Hato went away with the Netherlands but made just one appearance from the bench in their four Nations League fixtures.
The 20-year-old won just two of his five ground duels (40 per cent) and committed two fouls in his 32 minutes on the pitch during the break, so will feel majorly disappointed with his national team prospects right now.
Mike Penders has returned to Chelsea this season after being a regular between the sticks for Ligue 1 sister club Strasbourg last term.
His lack of consistent game time under Alonso saw him rooted to the Belgian national team bench over the break behind Senne Lammens, while he failed to even make the squad for two of their NL fixtures.