We enter the November international break – the last of this year, with the next interruption to the club football schedule not arriving until March 2027 – off the back of a loss, as a first-half penalty condemned us to a narrow 1-0 defeat away at Sunderland on Sunday.

That is a repeat of the previous international window, in late September and early October, when we were beaten at Brentford in our final game leading into the break.

Since then, results have been mixed. Strong wins over Bournemouth, Everton and Manchester United – bringing our first two Premier League clean sheets of the season in the process – were offset by our exit from the Carabao Cup in a penalty shoot-out at Liverpool and league defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and, now, Sunderland.

It was that inconsistency in league results and performance which was on our manager’s mind when he was asked for his opinion on how this run of fixtures has gone for the Blues.

‘Three wins, two defeats, it could have been better,’ reflected Alonso. ‘It’s progress, but we want to be more consistent.

‘It was about finishing this block with a good feeling but, like the last block against Brentford, we lost.

‘For sure, it’s ups and downs, and we are still missing that consistency that is needed in the Premier League.'

The good news is that Alonso, his staff, and those members of his squad who aren’t heading away to join their national teams in the coming days, now have a week’s break to plan and prepare to put that right in time for the Premier League’s return.

That comes on Saturday 21 November, when Chelsea will host old rivals Leeds United at Stamford Bridge. We will be looking to get straight back to winning ways after this international break, just as we did last time around by thrashing Bournemouth 5-1 in west London on our return to the pitch.

‘The plan is to use the time with the players we have,’ Xabi added on his plans for the international break. ‘Some players will go on international duties, but we keep working.’