Brentford entered the break unbeaten, but Keith Andrews could have several injured players back before a demanding run led by Aston Villa and Liverpool.
Brentford could hardly have asked for a better start to the Premier League season, going unbeaten through their opening five games. But with Nathan Collins, Mathias Jensen and others still out, did a three-week international break arrive at the right time?
The Bees have taken nine points and signed off with a 3-0 win over Chelsea at the Gtech. It is the club's best five-game start to a Premier League season, with the Chelsea win following draws against Leeds, Sunderland and Bournemouth after beating Tottenham 3-0 on the opening weekend.
There had been no defeat in the cups either. Keith Andrews' side scored six at Birmingham City before winning 2-1 at Reading, so the break arrived with the Bees seven competitive matches into the season and still waiting to lose one.
That is a good run to interrupt for three weeks.
Chelsea had also felt like a step forward after three successive Premier League draws. Brentford did not simply extend the unbeaten run, they beat one of their London rivals comfortably. Jaidon Anthony and Igor Thiago scored their first league goals of the season, while Jannik Schuster continued to make a good impression after being pushed into the side by Collins' injury.
On form alone, there was not much reason for Andrews to want a pause. the Bees had found a way through injuries, new signings were beginning to settle, and the performance against Chelsea was probably their best of the opening month.
By the time they play again, 21 days will have passed since that win. With twelve of the senior squad representing their countries over that period.
The fixtures waiting on the other side complicate things. Aston Villa away comes first on October 10 and looks rather less appealing than it might have done earlier in the season.
Villa failed to win any of their opening four Premier League games, but Unai Emery's side had started to turn things around before the internationals. Wins over Club Brugge and Coventry City were followed by a 3-2 victory at Tottenham in their final game before the break.
Liverpool visit the Gtech a week later, having also gone unbeaten through their opening five league games. They won 1-0 at Bournemouth immediately before the pause and had already beaten Atletico Madrid and Tottenham during September.
So Brentford may have lost some rhythm at precisely the point when two difficult league games are approaching, But, they may also be better equipped to play them.
Collins has been missing since suffering a calf strain against Sunderland and Jensen has not featured since the opening victory over Tottenham. Sepp van den Berg is still yet to play this season.
Andrews had already spoken positively about the possibility of getting Van den Berg back once the international break was over.
"Sepp is making really good progress," he said earlier this month. "He's been back on the grass for the last week or 10 days, so he's getting there.
"He's in a good place to come back after the international break. That's realistic."
There has been less certainty around Collins. Andrews confirmed before Bournemouth that his captain would not play again before the break, while Jensen's problem was described as minor and initially expected to keep him out only for a relatively short period.
Brentford have coped without them. That does not mean Andrews would choose to continue doing so.
Schuster is probably the best example of what Brentford have gained while waiting. He made his Premier League debut when Collins went off against Sunderland, started at Bournemouth and kept his place against Chelsea, where he helped secure a clean sheet and knocked the ball down for Anthony's opener.
If Collins and Van den Berg are ready to return, Andrews does not simply get two defenders back. He has another genuine selection decision. Kristoffer Ajer has been a mainstay, Collins is the club captain and Schuster has done little wrong since getting his opportunity.
Jensen returning would give Andrews another option in midfield at a useful point as well. Villa and Liverpool are followed by a trip to newly promoted Hull City, Sunderland away in the Carabao Cup and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech. Five matches are currently scheduled between October 10 and October 31.
There is a reasonable argument either way, but on balance the break probably has come at a useful time.
Brentford would not have chosen to stop immediately after beating Chelsea 3-0. Seven games unbeaten and their best-ever five-game Premier League start is normally something a team wants to keep rolling.
The difference is what Andrews could have when it starts again. Brentford reached the break without their captain, Jensen, and Van den Berg, yet kept picking up points. If even two of those players are available at Villa Park, the squad will look stronger going into one of its most demanding stretches of the season.
The three-week gap has interrupted Brentford's best run under Andrews so far. It has also given some of the players missing from it a chance to catch up.
