This international break will probably do teams like Aston Villa, Tottenham and maybe even Manchester United the world of good.
It will allow players to focus on national team matters, before being thrust back into the pressure-cooker of the Premier League and the final run-in of the season.
For Aston Villa and Spurs, it’s a definite top-four battle, with fifth spot possibly opening up for Champions League football, depending on UEFA’s coefficient.
Even though Manchester United are nine points behind Unai Emery’s men, having played a game less, they are still being talked about to possibly finish fourth.
And you can imagine, after their dramatic 4-3 FA Cup win over Liverpool on Sunday, that has sky-rocketed their hope that it can and will happen.
Erik ten Hag ‘happy’ Aston Villa and Tottenham dropped points
Erik ten Hag spoke about how his team could use this to spark their season, even Ian Wright found those comments odd because it’s March and it’s ‘such a long time to start the season’.
Spurs were beaten 3-0 by Fulham, whilst Villa dropped points at West Ham, with the man in the Old Trafford dugout ‘happy’ to see that happen.
Look, I am in no doubt that Villa are going to drop more points from now until the end of the campaign, in fact, I know they will and it will be nervy. The same could be said for Spurs.
But Villa should be quietly glad that Man United won their FA Cup clash against Liverpool because their overhyped train has started again.
As the media constantly bang on about, they still have a chance to get fourth.
It seems as though people forget that they conceded 20+ shots at their goal again and how that unhealthy record is just going to result in defeats like Fulham from happening again after the international break.
There is massive pressure on Villa because they have held that spot for so long, but the more Man United get bigged up here, the more focus on them and belief that they will do something, then the better it is for ourselves in the long run.
Villa are in no doubt that they are going to take some hits in these coming months, especially given that the Premier League’s top three are still on the fixture list, as well as trying to win the Europa Conference League.
But so do Spurs have to play those three, as well as Man United playing Liverpool again on home soil and Arsenal.
Let the drama of the top-four race continue and the more Villa are doubted, the better!
