Antonio Conte was without most of his Tottenham squad during the international break, but they will start to return as preparations begin for a return to Premier League action. The Italian was left with just eight players during the break, although Ben Davies was released early from the Wales squad as a precaution earlier in the week.
Spurs' first game back is a home tie against Newcastle on Sunday, as they enter the final nine games of the season. Tottenham are fifth in the league and will be hoping to overtake Arsenal in the top four battle, currently sitting three points behind their north London rivals and with arguably a more favourable run-in than Mikel Arteta's side.
All Conte will have hoped for from the international break he described as a "pity", is that his team could enjoy playing for their country, but not pick up any injuries. Conte is still dealing with the absences of Ryan Sessegnon and Oliver Skipp, so doesn't need any of his other first team players to pick up knocks.
READ MORE: Why Ben Davies has returned to Tottenham and will not play in Wales' friendly vs Czech Republic
Dejan Kulusevski clashed heads with David Zima in Sweden's 1-0 victory against Czech Republic on Thursday, which left him with a swollen cheek that required treatment and an ice pack. The 21-year-old later revealed it wasn't as bad as he first thought and he was able to play the full game for his country when they lost 2-0 to Poland on Tuesday. That result means that the 21-year-old will not be heading to the World Cup at the end of the year.
Davies' early arrival from international duty with Wales was described as a precaution and football.london understands it was due to tightness the defender felt in one of the quad muscles in his thigh. The early release will hopefully mean that he can recover in time for Sunday's match.
Apart from the incidents of the Tottenham duo, there didn't seem to be any standout injuries to Conte's players during their international matches. There are likely to be assessments of all the players once they return to Hotspur Way, but the Italian will hope nothing serious comes from it and affects any of his players.
The 52-year-old will have also been pleased with how the international break went for his players, in the form of some producing solid displays, others scoring goals and some getting a much needed rest. One of these players is Cristian Romero.
The 23-year-old had a two match ban due to the saga from a previous international break last year, where he allegedly breached Covid regulations. Argentina were hoping the ban may be reduced but it wasn't, so Romero wasn't included in either of the matchday squads for his country - a shame for him but a boost for Conte, who will get his defender back without any problems...hopefully!
Kulusevski, Son Heung-min, Matt Doherty and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg were amongst those who played the full match for their country. Hugo Lloris, Pierluigi Gollini and Davinson Sanchez were part of the group that were given a rest when their nations played on Tuesday.
Harry Kane, Joe Rodon and Steven Bergwijn all came off the bench to get minutes for their sides in the second half, with the latter scoring for the Netherlands to get a 1-1 draw against Germany. This means that a number of Conte's side got some form of rest for either part of, or all of their country's second game of the break.
Bryan Gil also scored for his Spain Under-21s side in their 3-2 victory over Slovakia in the European Under-21 Championship qualifier. The 21-year-old wasn't the only youngster to make an impact for his nation, though.
Troy Parrott scored a cracking 97th minute winner for his Republic of Ireland side in their 1-0 victory over Lithuania on Tuesday night. The ball fell to the youngster just outside the box, he was able to control it and fire a shot into the bottom corner in the closing moments of the game to leave the Irish crowd ecstatic.
There were more positives from the Tottenham youngsters with Dane Scarlett bagging two goals for the England Under-19s side who beat Portugal 2-0 in their European Championship qualifier. One of the goals was scored from the spot after fellow Lilywhites starlet Alfie Devine won a penalty in the first half, before being substituted.
Kallum Cesay was on the bench in Sierra Leone's defeat to Togo and victory over Liberia before making his debut in their 2-1 victory over Congo. Not only was it his first start for his country, after his first senior call-up, but he didn't disappoint, scoring both goals for his country.
It will be a long journey home for some of Conte's players, who will be returning to Hotspur Way from all over the world. However the Italian will hope he can make the most of the next few days of preparation with his side, to then get a much needed three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
