Premier League: Is the international break good for your side?

Premier League leaders Arsenal head into the international break in a strong position as they sit nine points clear of second-place Manchester City, albeit having played a game more than Pep Guardiola’s side.

But with their next league game not until 11 April when they host Bournemouth, it’s a long time to stew on their League Cup final loss to City.

They are not completely without fixtures until then as they play Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on 4 April and then Sporting in the Champions League last eight on 7 April – but even almost two weeks is a long time to dwell.

“They were unbeaten in 14 so it’s about how they react to this loss,” former Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul said on BBC Radio 5 live.

“The nerves are clearly there because they’ve been that close [to winning the Premier League] in the past few years.

“If they just keep their cool in the next few weeks – how the club reacts is going to be so important.

“They’ve still got City away in April and that game is going to be huge for the title.”

For Manchester City‘s players, it probably presents a different problem in that they will be itching to keep their momentum going.

“It is a blow for them and we need to build on it and get some momentum from this win now,” said Nico O’Reilly, who scored both of City’s goals in the League Cup final.

“As soon as the international break is over, we need to kick on and fight hard.

“Who knows [whether it will dent Arsenal‘s momentum], I don’t know how they are feeling. Obviously they will be upset they haven’t won a trophy.”