Nine times out of 10, if you utter the words 'international break' to a fan of a Premier League club, or even a manager for that matter, you'll be met with a groan, a sigh or some other negative response.
Many lament the risk of injuries and exhaustion faced by over-worked players travelling thousands of miles to play even more matches, or the fact that club coaches miss out on valuable time working with their players in the middle of the season.
Twelve Manchester City first-teamers went to represent their countries in the latest round of World Cup qualifiers and friendlies at a crucial point in the campaign that sees City embroiled in a tight title race and facing huge games in the Champions League.
READ MORE: Raheem Sterling shows how Man City will benefit from international break despite injury scare
However, as Pep Guardiola has always been keen to point out, representing one's nation is incredibly important for players. It is a duty we as supporters should not begrudge them for, particularly given that City might actually benefit from the recent exploits of their international stars.
Raheem Sterling could arguably be the biggest beneficiary. After enjoying a purple patch of form between November and February, the winger has dipped again in recent weeks and has fallen behind Jack Grealish as Guardiola's preferred left-wing option.
On Tuesday night though he was exceptional for England, scoring and assisting as he captained the Three Lions to a 3-0 friendly win against Ivory Coast. The boy from Brent was a constant menace attacking down the left flank, the assist he provided for Ollie Watkins' opener the highlight of his performance.
It was typical Sterling; he tied the full-back in knots with some dazzling footwork before firing a perfectly timed cross to the back post that required the simplest of tap-ins from his teammate. His goal, on the stroke of half-time, involved some lovely link-up play with City teammate Grealish, the summer arrival squaring for Sterling to convert.
Sterling will now return to the Etihad with renewed confidence after coming off the boil, just in time for a run of daunting fixtures against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool. The same can be said of Grealish, who showed that he can still provide assists despite the claims of his critics this season.
Not all of City's internationals enjoyed their time away though. Riyad Mahrez suffered heartbreak for the second time in two months, as Algeria conceded a 124th minute goal to Cameroon that cost them a place at the 2022 World Cup.
Group stage elimination at the Africa Cup of Nations in January was bad enough, but missing out on potentially the last World Cup of his career will hurt Mahrez even more. However, he has shown that he can bounce back from international disappointment.
In the 11 games he's featured in since returning from the AFCON Mahrez has scored nine goals and assisted two more. The Algeria captain has received criticism back home for his national team performances, but if he can hit back in similar fashion then that will only be good for City's treble hopes.
Then there are those who didn't play at all. Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker were both left at home this international break, their respective international managers wanting to experiment with younger, less experienced players in their positions. Both are crucial players for City, so Guardiola will be delighted that they have had two weeks to rest ahead of a packed run-in to the campaign.
An injury scare for John Stones is the only real concern for City, especially given that Ruben Dias is already sidelined. Gareth Southgate did stress that the centre-back was sent home from the England camp as a precaution, so if he turns out to be fine then he should have fresh legs going forward.
For teams like City who have lots of international players, having an international break at such a crucial period of the season is never ideal. However - touch wood - it looks like this time the fortnight has boosted City's objectives, rather than hindered them.
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