Everton boss Roberto Martinez believes that the recent international break came at an ideal time for his squad.
The Toffees were pegged back in their opening games against Leicester City and Arsenal and ended with a point from winning positions in both matches, before being hammered 6-3 by Chelsea.
Following their return from the round of international fixtures, Martinez's side beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 last Saturday, and the Spaniard admitted that the break helped his charges.
He told the Liverpool Echo: "Sometimes it is good to stop because it can be a ruthless way of working in the league, so when you get an international break it is good.
"We have been working with the players we have behind closed doors and it has been a really good period to look back on what we have achieved and where we are.
"You don't want to be stopping for such a long time with a defeat, but we have got a lot of positives playing against Chelsea in the manner we did."
Everton host Wolfsburg in the Europa League on Thursday.
Paul Gorst
