Taking positives from long break at vital stage of campaign
[BBC] [Getty Images] An England captain and a Brazil centre-forward - two more Brentford firsts and just another incredible week to be a Bees fan! It was great that Jordan Henderson was given the armband by Thomas Tuchel for England's draw with Uruguay. And it was superb to see Igor Thiago achieve his dream of a Brazil cap when he came on during the second half of their friendly defeat by France.
Even though Henderson has, of course, played for England for years, it still makes you proud as a Brentford supporter to enjoy moments like this. Thiago's achievement goes against the reported wisdom of Brazil fans not rating players who don't play for the biggest clubs and it was great to see the genuine joy that his debut brought him. It wasn't all happiness for Bees players, however, with Caoimhin Kelleher and Nathan Collins, with Republic of Ireland, and Yehor Yarmoliuk, with Ukraine, all having their World Cup finals qualifying hopes ended in the play-off semi-finals.
However, Denmark's Mikkel Damsgaard and Mathias Jensen, and Jamaica's Ethan Pinnock, still have a chance of joining the likes of Henderson, Thiago, Scotland's Aaron Hickey and Norway's Kristoffer Ajer in the finals - fitness permitting. Although it's nice to have a break as a fan sometimes, it would have been good for the Premier League to return over the Easter weekend. Our FA Cup exit means it's nearly another fortnight until our next game - against Everton.
At least those players who have been away on international duty will get a break afterwards, but three weeks is a long gap at such a vital stage of the campaign. Hopefully some of the injuries in the camp will clear up and the non-internationals can have a rest to set us up for what could be an exciting finale to the season. Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast