As Manchester United's players emerged into the snow outside Old Trafford on Saturday night and scattered around the globe, an international break will have come as a blessed relief from the icy blast of Jose Mourinho.
It had been a painful couple of days.
Victory over Brighton did little to thaw Mourinho's mood after that astonishing 12-minute outburst on Friday. Nemanja Matic aside, his players had displayed a 'lack of personality, lack of class and lack of desire'. Ouch.
It is clear that Mourinho is upping the ante at United, publicly challenging his players to raise their game to try to get a response.