Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk endured a frustrating international break, but several Anfield players did impress for their nations.
Trent Alexander-Arnold shone for England, while Luis Diaz really impressed for Colombia, which will have delighted Liverpool manager Arne Slot.
The Anfield boss will now be grateful that his players are back on Merseyside, with a key period now getting underway.
Liverpool will play seven matches within 20 days, with the club involved in Premier League, Champions League and League Cup action.
Slot has thus far passed the test after replacing Jurgen Klopp, but fans will get a real insight into how their new manager can deal with the pressure of the job in the coming weeks.
Virgil van Dijk impressed by four international Liverpool players
He was handed good news over the international break, with both Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah having returned home early.
And while the former was frustrated with his latest spell with the Netherlands, having been sent off against Hungary, he was delighted with the displays of many Liverpool teammates.
The most recent international period ended in frustration for me personally, but there were some real positives for some of my teammates,” Van Dijk said in the official matchday programme for Liverpool versus Chelsea.
“Congratulations, for example, to Conor Bradley, who captained Northern Ireland for the first time. In football, there are few greater honours than being chosen to lead your country out and I know Conor and his family will be extremely proud, as they should be.
“Others showed some of their best form too, including Trent Alexander-Arnold with England, Dominik Szoboszlai with Hungary and Luis Diaz with Colombia.
“Hopefully they, and others, will return with both form and confidence, ready for the big challenges to come.”
Virgil van Dijk says how Liverpool players feel about their season so far
Slot has made the dream start to life at Liverpool, but he and everyone connected to the club will be well aware that these are very early stages.
The Reds now kick off a hugely busy and tricky period of the season as they host Chelsea at Anfield, quickly followed by a trip to RB Leipzig.
That Champions League clash comes before league meetings with the likes of Arsenal and Brighton, with the Seagulls also awaiting the Reds in the League Cup.
Matches with Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa in Europe and the Premier League complete the chaotic period before the next international break.
Slot certainly needs to get his rotation spot on to handle the situation, with Van Dijk eager for his side to continue pushing under the manager.
“As I say, this is a period in which we will need every single member of the squad,” he added. “We are all satisfied with the start we have made to the campaign, with nine wins out of 10 games in all competitions, but that only makes us hungrier to deliver more.
“We don’t want to be remembered as a side which flew out of the blocks and then faded away. We want to get stronger and stronger as the season progresses, delivering big performances and big results on a consistent basis. That is what we will be demanding of ourselves.”
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