Jürgen Klopp is relishing his return to the touchline as his Liverpool side face Manchester City in Saturday evening's showdown looking to maintain his unbeaten record against them.
The international break has meant that the home defeat to Crystal Palace, the German's first loss since taking over at Anfield, has hung heavy over the manager and the players.
The Reds look to bounce back when they take on the league leaders in a mouthwatering fixture at the Etihad Stadium this weekend, but Klopp has positive previous history against City.
In two meetings whilst Borussia Dortmund manager, Klopp came out victorious once and drew the other clash in the Champions League and he's looking to drawn upon that experience as Liverpool attempt to bridge the gap between themselves and the top-four.
He referred to the fact he never lost against City as Dortmund boss in his pre-match press conference and explained that eight players from that team are still at the Etihad - calling them a "high quality" group of players.
But Klopp is optimistic that his team can produce a shock, saying that they "have a chance" because football is always an open and unpredictable sport.
He added that he is "looking forward" to facing City for the first time as a Premier League boss, insisting that a two-week break away from top-flight football is "long enough" after the loss to Palace - but saying they now have "the next chance" to bounce back.
Reds raring to get going again and make amends for Palace loss
But despite a break from the action, Klopp did at least appreciate the opportunity to take some time away and review his first six weeks - and seven matches - in charge, particularly given the number of players that did not go away with their countries on international duty.
Klopp revealed that eight players were at Melwood for training, including Jose Enrique who trained "for the first time" since his appointment - the other seven being "the same seven" that were there last time.
He insisted that "nothing has changed" but said a number of players did return early after having only one game - reviewing it as a "good" week, with the "first two or three days" good for recovering before they returned to training, where they could "work on many things."
The Reds boss bemoaned an inability to speak Spanish, due to the nationalities of many of the players left on Merseyside, but said it was "okay" with English and said they must now "make the last steps" prior to their clash with City.