The Premier League is back after a thrilling international break.
It's like a good book that we put on the shelf and then open it back up again to start an unpredictable new chapter.
The break is a chance for managers to catch their breath and come up with new ideas but they will also have to take the temperature of their international players.
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Some will be on cloud nine after qualifying for next year's World Cup but others will be absolutely devastated.
Take Dominik Szoboszlai, who was distraught after Hungary's dramatic loss to Ireland in Dublin. He's a key player for Liverpool and it's not a given that he will be able to just park that disappointment and get back to his best.
What a game that was and Troy Parrott won't have to buy a Guinness again after booking Ireland's playoff ticket with a hat-trick.
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And a special shoutout to Scotland, too, who went on a rollercoaster ride before qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998. Scott McTominay is a remarkable story.
The midfielder was a good player for Manchester United but he has gone to another stratosphere since joining Napoli last year.
He won Serie A player of the year while leading Napoli to the title and deserves to strut his stuff at the World Cup. If you haven't seen his overhead goal yet, do yourself a favour.
ARSENAL vs TOTTENHAM
The game of the round is the north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
It doesn't get much better than that and the big question is whether Arsenal can maintain their red-hot form after the break.
They haven't lost since September 1 against Liverpool – a phenomenal run of 12 wins and two draws across all competitions.
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It has been interesting to watch their evolution under Mikel Arteta. The Gunners can still play nice football but it's not the free-flowing, breathtaking style of the past.
Arteta's success is built on a rock-solid defence and lethal set-piece, led by the outstanding centre back Gabriel.
But he's set for a month on the sidelines after pulling a muscle in his thigh while playing for Brazil. That is a really big blow as Arsenal look to win their first major trophy in five years. Arteta knows he needs to win something this season and there's really no excuses.
Maybe they don't have the best starting XI in England but in my eyes they have the best squad of players.
They are winning games without playing at their very best or hitting the heights that we've become accustomed to in terms of their playing style.
But who cares. They want to win the league, and they'll win it any way they can. Do whatever it takes.
As for Spurs, the knives were out and fans booed them off the park following a dreadful 1-0 loss to Chelsea earlier this month.
But they responded well with a 4-0 win against Copenhagen and a thrilling 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
Their football under Thomas Frank is nowhere near as attractive as it was under Ange Postecoglou and we knew that would be the case.
But if you'd offered any Spurs fan fifth place after 11 league games, they would have snapped it up.
Frank has rebuilt stability at the back and they've got the equal-fourth best defensive record in the league.
They've also scored 19 goals – again, equal-fourth best in the league – so they are a more than decent all-around team.
They just need to get over that Spurs psychological hurdle, which is quite evident at home.
The expectations of the fans is very high and that tends to weigh them down.
They need to find a way to deal with that but they have a strong away record and they'll enjoy being underdogs against Arsenal.
LIVERPOOL vs NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Liverpool have lost any margin for error as they resume their stuttering title defence against Nottingham Forest.
The Reds are in eighth place, eight points off the pace set by Arsenal, and they need to be putting away teams like Forest at Anfield.
The last-start 3-0 loss to Manchester City was a major blow and it will be fascinating to see who Arne Slot rolls out in his starting XI.
There is still plenty of time to claw back ground on Arsenal and the other leading lights but they can't fall behind by 10 points or more.
Forest beat Liverpool 1-0 last season which will give them genuine belief, as will Sean Dyche's first league win with the team against Leeds United.
Forest are 19th and firmly in the relegation zone so avoiding the drop is Dyche's first priority.
But I still think they've got a squad that can also do some damage in the Europa League. They take on Malmo next Friday (AEDT) in a rematch from the 1979 European Cup final.
That will be a very special night at the City Ground.
I think they will avoid relegation and Dyche is the right man for that particular job.
WOLVES vs CRYSTAL PALACE
We have a new manager in the Premier League after Rob Edwards replaced Vitor Pereira at the helm of Wolves.
I feel sorry for Pereira but he can have no complaints after picking up just two points from 11 games.
It will take a minor miracle for Edwards to keep them in the top flight from here but funnier things have certainly happened in football.
Middlesbrough understandably weren't over the moon to lose Edwards but the Welshman is a good fit at Wolves.
He played 111 games for the club and has coached their youth teams so he knows what they are all about.
It's a similar scenario to Dyche at Forest and he might well be the man to reinvigorate them. Crystal Palace is not an easy start.
STAY CALM, SOCCEROOS FANS
I can understand the disappointment of Socceroos fans after the losses to Venezuela and Colombia.
People say there are no such thing as friendly games but I disagree with that. This is the time for Tony Popovic to experiment with selection and tactics and I wouldn't be panicking at all.
Colombia are ranked 13th in the world and Popa is a winner who will have things up his sleeve for the World Cup. These games will be completely forgotten come June.
Of course, I kept a close eye on the goalkeepers and Patrick Beach and Paul Izzo got the opportunities in the United States.
For me, Maty Ryan is still No.1 and Popa is just looking at his backup options. They were both very good. Paul will be disappointed by Luis Diaz's goal and that was a mix-up between him and the defenders.
That can sometimes happen when long balls come over the top and in the end Paul did well because he could have easily brought the player down outside the box, and got sent off. But Maty is still playing regular La Liga football for Levante and has done nothing wrong.
