Ruben Amorim's arrival, Man City and Arsenal looking to stop the rot - and no more international breaks until March! 10 reasons why we can't wait for the Premier League's return this weekend
- England won vital Nations League ties against Ireland and Greece during break
- But in good news for Premier League fans it is the last pause for four months
- LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
If the Premier League was a West End show, the sudden pause prompted by the latest international break would be the cliff-hanger right before the interval.
Granted, few intermissions last quite as long as the agonising 13 days separating Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Arsenal and this Saturday's return but it has certainly served to build up excitement.
An unprecedented fourth consecutive defeat for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, another masterful performance from Liverpool, and the impending arrival of Ruben Amorim as Man United's new manager. Things were just starting to hot up in the most watched league in the world.
It's not the first time football fans have been left dangling on the edge of the hook this season with two international breaks prompting fortnights of thumb-twiddling preceding this one.
The good news is it is full steam ahead from here, with not an England, Scotland or Wales snooze-fest in sight and a packed schedule of festive fixtures to look forward to.
Here, Mail Sport gives you the 10 reasons why we are champing at the bit for the return of Premier League football this weekend...
The Premier League took an international break on a cliff-hanger with Liverpool at the summit
Pep Guardiola reached uncharted territory with a fourth straight defeat at Manchester City
It was not the worst international break as England won two vital games in the Nations League
1. Goodbye international breaks
Before we delve into what we love about the top-flight, there is time for a parting shot at the international game.
It was actually a rather busy fortnight on this occasion, with Gary Lineker announcing his departure from Match of the Day next summer after 25 years, and refereeing chiefs suspending David Coote for a series of videos, ranging from him allegedly criticising Jurgen Klopp to allegedly snorting white powder.
On the field, England scored eight unanswered goals as they cruised to emphatic wins over Greece and Ireland to gain promotion to the upper echelons of the Nations League.
But none of this could plug the gap the Premier League's absence created on our Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with many of us falling into an existential crisis as to what normal people do on the weekend without heading to the pub or the stands to watch football.
The good thing is that we will not have to experience that feeling again for some time, with no international breaks scheduled for four months. Book that weekend away for March 22, Premier League fans...
It was a hectic fortnight with Gary Lineker's departure from Match of the Day dominating news
On the field England scored eight goals but we will all be happy to see the back of these breaks
2. Goals galore
Right, back to the joys of our domestic league, starting with something players have been finding very easy of late: goals.
There have been lots of them. A whopping 314 in 110 matches to be exact, which makes this season the second-biggest goal-fest (at 2.85 per game) of any Premier League campaign.
The open, attacking football fans have been treated to in the first three months comes hot on the heels of the 2023-24 season's record-breaking tally of 1543 at 3.28 goals per game.
Is it so-called Barclays nostalgia, dodgy defences or electric forwards which have prompted this sea-change? Probably a mixture, and the fact games regularly last 100 minutes and fewer goals are being chalked off for a striker's toenail being offside cannot hurt.
Either way, buckle up for more last-minute winners, six-goal thrillers and wild 'limbs' in the away end as we welcome back the Premier League.
There have already been more than 300 goals and Man City's Erling Haaland has 12 of them
Expect some more last-minute winners and manic crowd celebrations in the coming weeks
3. A thrilling title race
Viewers have been treated to some fine run-ins of late, with City and Arsenal doing battle until the death in the last two seasons, but this term's title race looks particularly promising.
Five points separate Guardiola's men in second and Aston Villa in ninth, with just a single point between the West Midlands outfit and third-placed Chelsea.
The tightness has been heavily influenced by the tough starts for last campaign's top two with City four points and 11 goal difference worse off than at this stage last term, and Arsenal five points and 8 goals inferior.
The seemingly invincible Etihad side, who have won four consecutive titles, have now lost four matches in a row in all competitions, including defeats to Brighton and Bournemouth in the league.
Arsenal meanwhile have won just two points in their last four games, struggling with discipline and creating chances as they plummet down the table.
Signs suggest their misfortunes should not last long. Guardiola has committed his future to City with a new contract extension this week, eliminating some of the uncertainty over the last month or so.
The Gunners will welcome captain and talisman Martin Odegaard's return to the frayand will be looking to make the most of some favourable fixtures heading into the new year.
Their slow starts have left Liverpool some way out in front - five points clear of City - but it will only take a slight uptick in form for last season's title contenders, or one of the array of other challengers this term, for them to start looking over their shoulder.
Liverpool are leading the way under Arne Slot and are currently five points out in front
But have consecutive defeats to Brighton and Bournemouth left Manchester City in crisis?
Arsenal are five points worse off than the side were last season after some humiliating losses
4. A relegation battle for the ages
At the other end of the table, fans can already smell an agonising run-in or even a excruciating final day - the kind where supporters are seen frantically checking other teams' results in the stands and preparing for life in the Championship.
That glorious drama is some time off, of course, but at least seven teams will see relegation as a genuine concern 11 matches into the season.
Ipswich, in 17th, became the final side to win their first game with a win at Spurs on November 10, closely following 19th-placed Wolves who beat Southampton the day before.
Things are looking decidedly bleak for the Saints with the south coast outfit lacking quality up front despite all their possession, leaving them rock bottom on four points.
Crystal Palace make up the bottom three, after struggling to adapt to life after Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen, while Leicester will look anxiously at the fate of newly-promoted teams that came before them.
Wolves, in 19th, took until their most recent game against Southampton to win their first match
It is looking troubling for Southampton with the south coast side in 20th on just four points
Crystal Palace are also in the relegation battle after a disappointing start to the campaign
5. Bem-vindo Amorim
Charismatic managers have always been one of the league's biggest draws.
Mikel Arteta seems to have taken up Jurgen Klopp's role of providing the touchline fireworks, while Guardiola remains an enigma despite spending more than eight years at the Etihad.
The likes of Everton's Sean Dyche and Spurs' Ange Postecoglou, meanwhile, have filled the shoes of Sam Allardyce, Ian Holloway and Mick McCarthy by providing brutally honest answers in post-match interviews.
And we now welcome a new face to the circus: Ruben Amorim. The Portuguese will finally replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester Unired manager, almost four weeks after his appointment.
The 39-year-old will bring his laid-back and confident demeanour to press conferences and his pragmatic 3-4-3 system to the Old Trafford pitch.
It will be fascinating to see if he can buck the trend set by the six managers who came between him and Sir Alex Ferguson and who have presided over a bitterly disappointing period in United's history.
Ruben Amorim arrived from Sporting Lisbon last week to become the latest Man United boss
He replaces Erik ten Hag who was finally sacked after a defeat to West Ham last month
6. Lineker's long goodbye
Tuning into Match of the Day will involve an added tinge of poignancy between now and the rest of the season after Lineker announced his departure at the end of the season after 25 years fronting the show.
The BBC are now in the process of hunting for a host to succeed Lineker, who replaced Des Lynam on the iconic programme back in 1999.
Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC's director of sport, is said to believe a new presenter could help win over younger viewers, with Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott and Kelly Cates among those in the frame.
The corporation could even opt for a rotating cast of hosts as they reportedly look to divert the show's focus to highlights and content appealing to a Gen Z audience.
Whatever happens, it won't quite be the same.
Lineker's exit from Match of the Day after 25 years has shocked viewers
Many names have been linked with replacing him including the BBC's Mark Chapman
7. Surprise packages shocking the big boys
Part of the reason the title race looks set to be so exciting is the shock form of a number of teams outside the so-called 'Big Six'.
The biggest story of the season has undoubtedly been Nottingham Forest. Nuno Espirito Santo's men lie in fifth - only behind third-placed Chelsea on goal difference - and have suddenly gelled as a team under the Portuguese.
Centre-forward Chris Wood has shown the enduring value of having an imposing target man leading the line, scoring 53.3 per cent of the Reds' goals this campaign.
Brighton's success should not surprise anyone anymore but they have surged into sixth with a swagger under Fabian Hurzeler, cramming the final third and seemingly abandoning the midfield in an astonishing tactical development.
Fulham had a great transfer window, recruiting Crystal Palace's Andersen and Burnley's Sander Berge to shore up the defence and Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal to complement the former Wolves duo of Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore up front.
These Premier League upstarts have all claimed some enormous scalps this season and we look forward to seeing who they will upset next.
Things have started coming together at Nottingham Forest under Nuno Espirito Santo (right)
Fabian Hurzeler's tactics at Brighton have raised eyebrows but taken his side into sixth
Marco Silva's Fulham have been a real surprise package after recruiting well in the summer
8. World's best playing at their best
Some things never change and the Premier League's ability to attract the finest players in the game has long been at the centre of its popularity.
This campaign, Erling Haaland has continued his freakish goal-scoring form with 12 strikes in 11 matches to follow his tallies of 36 and 27 in the last two seasons.
Bukayo Saka is giving full-backs a tougher time than ever, while his England teammate Cole Palmer is the hottest prospect in football right now.
And it might be the last chance for us to enjoy Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, with the trio all deep in talks with their contracts expiring in the summer. Each of them has been instrumental in the Reds' surge to the summit of the Premier League.
Chelsea's enigmatic Cole Palmer is arguably the biggest talent in world football at the moment
It might be the last time we get to Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk in a Liverpool shirt
9. And the summer signings adding new flair
The old guard have been joined by an exciting influx of fresh talent as the league's wealthy owners dusted off thier money bags and splashed the cash over the summer.
Pedro Neto has added new energy to Chelsea after his £54m transfer from Wolves, while Smith Rowe has done similar at Fulham, scoring three and assisting two.
Huge signings Dominic Solanke (£65m from Bouremouth to Spurs) and Evanilson (the Cherries' £40m replacement from Porto) have made solid starts leading the line with four goals each.
Facundo Buonanotte has been a breath of fresh air at Leicester while we look forward to seeing more of Savinho's skills as City look to get back on track.
Special mentions must also go to Villa's midfield maestro Amadou Onana, Newcastle's young gun Lewis Hall, and Brighton skillster Yankuba Minteh.
Pedro Neto, who arrived at Chelsea from Wolves, is just one example of a fine summer signing
Emile Smith Rowe switched Arsenal for Fulham and has been a great boost for the Cottagers
It all restarts again this Saturday as Chelsea look to continue their good start against Leicester
10. A feast of football to get back into it
All of these joys are almost upon us and we dive straight back into it with a thrilling set of fixtures this weekend to remove the memory of the international break.
It starts straight away as Chelsea look to continue their surprisingly good start to the season with a trip to Leicester, before high-flying Forest head to a Gunners side desperate to turn their fortunes around.
Later on Saturday, Guardiola will be hoping to avoid a barely-fathomable fifth consecutive defeat as City host a Spurs team they lost against only three weeks ago in the Carabao Cup.
And if that wasn't enough, Super Sunday is also stacked as leaders Liverpool look to inflict damage on bottom-placed Southampton before we get to see Amorim's United in action for the first time at Ipswich.
We can barely contain our excitement.
