For the final time until next March, international football ruled the roost.
But as we can freeze the smile that accompanies the sight of seeing Ireland on top of a World Cup qualifying group for a few months at least, club action returns across the globe.
There are some tasty Premier League clashes to whet the appetite and plenty of trends to look out for.
Rooney tends to find his range against Arsenal
It's not been a good week for Wayne Rooney - not that he has had many of those this season.
Under the tabloid microscope during the week while on England duty, there is a strong possibility that Jose Mourinho could relegate him back to the bench when Manchester United host Arsenal in the Saturday 12.30pm kick off.
And from Rooney's point of view, that would be a pity because he has a fondness for playing Arsenal.
Arsenal sit second on the list of clubs that the United captain has scored most goals against, with Aston Villa being the only team to have conceded more of his goals with 15.
In 32 matches against the Gunners, Rooney has scored 14 times. You can throw in seven assists as well.
Lallana's upgraded
After an inconsistent start to his Liverpool career after leaving the captaincy at Southampton, the midfielder has developed into a shoe-in for the Reds and England starting elevens - although he is an injury doubt for the fixture at St Mary's.
He leads the way though for assists at Anfield this season along with Philippe Coutinho. Both have five assists to their name.
Lallana's got three Premier League goals already this season which is just two shy of his total for 2014-15 and one off last season, with less than a third of the season gone.
His shot accuracy has been rising this season, sitting in the 40-50% mark two years ago; the 50-60% mark last season; and above 60% at the moment.
How Kane's absence impacted Spurs
The Tottenham fan favourite made his return - and scored - against Arsenal in the North London derby after an injury absence.
Son Heung Min filled in for him as a False 9 option, while Victor Janssen was the more direct replacement.
But as they prepare for West Ham, Spurs will be glad to have Kane back now after four league draws on the trot.
They did beat Manchester City impressively at home without Kane. But overall their record is better with him in the team.
This season, Tottenham have won three and drawn three with Kane in the team, while without him the record reads two wins and three draws without him.
So no major impact results wise.
With Kane in the team, Spurs have scored 1.5 goals per game, whereas it is 1.2 in his absence. Again, that stat is marginal.
In terms of overall chances creates this season, Tottenham's opportunities created per game was rather low at the start of this season before hitting a crescendo peak in the 4-0 win against Stoke.
But it dropped dramatically back towards where it had been at the start of the campaign during Kane's absence.
Interestingly though, with or without Kane, Tottenham are yet to score from outside the box during 2016-17.
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