*Written ahead of Liverpool's 2-0 win against Watford at the weekend
International breaks are usually dreaded, interminable affairs. But with a gigantic April that could see Liverpool play 10 times in total, I get the feeling these two weeks off have been welcomed by Jurgen Klopp and his staff.
The Reds manager returned to the AXA Centre at the start of the week after having a well-earned few days away and I know a few of his staff were able to get away on a number of short holidays around Europe.
As always, fingers will have been kept crossed for the safe return of those of international contingent and we'll be hearing if there have been any untimely fitness issues when Klopp meets the media in his pre-Watford press conference on Friday lunchtime.
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Speaking of injured players, Trent Alexander-Arnold's work goes on behind the scenes. The right-back is working towards his own bespoke and specially-tailored training programme in an effort to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible.
He is hugely unlikely to be risked in the next few days though as the Reds host Watford before visiting Lisbon for a Champions League quarter-final with Benfica. I was told earlier this week that the game with Man City at the Etihad on April 10 remains the comeback target for Alexander-Arnold.
He is progressing well but Liverpool are wary of pushing him too soon. Alexander-Arnold will be integral to a good result at City, so he will be given every chance of making that game, even if he misses the two before it in the coming days.
Football For Change's Chairman's Lunch event
I have to highlight the great work of Football For Change in this week's newsletter. The charity was launched in 2020 in an effort to support young people across the region with a particular focus on helping them into education, employment and training. It is backed by Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard as well James Milner and Alexander-Arnold among several other high-profile names within football.
Over £100,000 was raised for local causes at the Hope Street Hotel last week with Carragher, Gerrard and Alexander-Arnold all donating special prizes for the charity auction. The Liverpool legends also took part in a very candid Q&A session with Alastair Campbell before live music was provided by Tom Grennan.
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That follows on from the £250,000 that was raised back in November at the inaugural FFC gala dinner. Everyone involved should be immensely proud of their efforts so far, but as Carragher said: "This is only the beginning."
I also had the chance to speak to Gerrard for an exclusive interview for the ECHO about life as a Premier League manager at Aston Villa and how he has managed to reach the elite level so quickly after initially starting out as an academy coach in 2017.
The former captain was in a relaxed mood as we chatted on the rooftop of the city centre hotel and he told me how positive the international break had been for him given the "whirlwind" few months that have preceded it since he joined Villa in November.
Elsewhere, the fallout from the FA Cup semi-final decision continues to rumble on as Liverpool fans get set for a nightmare journey 200 miles south to Wembley without the help of train lines later this month.
After the FA said they would be putting on 100 free buses from the Etihad and Anfield to Wembley and back, the governing bodies were accused of making a decision that was "purely financially" motivated by influential fan groups Spirit of Shankly and We Are 1894.
Speaking to sources at SOS, they have said that they are yet to hear anything formal or otherwise from the FA about the specific logistics of how the 100 free buses will work on the day. "It will be madness!" was one particularly terse WhatsApp response.
And finally, Liverpool have announced that they will square off with Manchester United in Thailand in July. It will be the first time the Reds have visited the region since 2015 and it's expected that the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok will be sold out when the two biggest clubs in England go head-to-head this summer.
No more details around the Reds' pre-season have been outlined beyond this friendly, but given it is mid-July when the summer schedule usually begins, it is expected that a tour of Southeast Asia and maybe even Australia could form part of the itinerary. Liverpool, of course, have a huge following in that part of the world, so I'm sure supporters cannot wait to see their heroes in the flesh this summer.
For now, though, it's time to take a deep breath as a massive, season-shaping and a potentially era-shaping April gets underway.
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