Gareth Southgate says England’s preparations for the finals of the Nations League will be 'complicated' by an all-Premier League showdown in the Champions League after a hugely dramatic week saw Liverpool and Tottenham stage memorable comebacks to see off Barcelona and Ajax respectively.
They will now meet in Madrid on 1 June with a number of those due to be part of Southgate's squad for the semi-final against Holland and either a final or third-place play-off now gearing themselves up for another huge game.
Speaking ahead of the final weekend of the Premier League season, Southgate said: "For our young English players it is great that they are playing in matches that really matter while under pressure and they are being really successful, because that will help England in the long run.
"Although it makes our preparation a bit more complicated, that is a challenge we have to deal with as a group of staff. We have got to adapt. We are always telling our players to adapt so we have got to do the same."
One aspect of the game that looks to have changed, however, is that players at the top clubs appear to retain mutual respect for each other that cuts across their club loyalties and doesn’t then infringe on the national team.
Manchester City and Tottenham, for instance played three times in a short period of time earlier this year without each subsequent fixture being hyped as a grudge match.
The England hierarchy have worked hard to avoid the kind of cliques that it is claimed have existed previously, for instance between Manchester United and Liverpool players, but the driving force behind a greater sense of 'Club England' looks to have been the players themselves.