Huddersfield Town, like the rest of the Championship, have had their season put on hold due to growing concerns over coronavirus.
Danny Cowley’s side have nine games left to play this season and are looking to fend off the threat of relegation when things get going again.
Back-to-back wins over Bristol City and Charlton Athletic had eased those fears, but the Terriers were brought crashing back down to earth by Leeds United last time out, losing 2-0 at Elland Road.
The break obviously gives Town time to regroup and Cowley a chance to assess what’s going wrong for his side at this moment in time.
Whilst the break is crippling for the football lovers out there, it does have its benefits.
Here, we look at the knock-on effects it could have on Town…
A fitness boost
Jonathan Hogg has missed Huddersfield’s last two games through an injury to his lower leg, but was making progress ahead of the meeting with Leeds.
This break gives him a chance to get back full fitness and hit the ground running when the season resumes – whenever that might be.
Additionally, the likes of Kamil Grabara – who is now back in contention – can find his feet again in within the squad and compete with Jonas Lossl for the goalkeeping gloves.
For Cowley, that’s a plus.
Assess striking options
A big dilemma for the Town boss is who he turns to in attack: Fraizer Campbell or Steve Mounie.
Campbell started against Bristol City, Charlton and Leeds before the break, but fired three blanks, with the striker struggling to support Karlan Grant in the goalscoring department.
Mounie has eight goals to his name this season and is in very good form, with many Town fans hoping to see him wrestle the starting berth from Campbell.
Knee-jerk reactions may have been made without this break, but Cowley now has a chance to assess and go with what is the best option.
Combinations grow
January saw a number of arrivals at the John Smith’s Stadium, with Cowley signing the likes of Harry Toffolo, Emile Smith Rowe and Richard Stearman; all three have been impressive, but time to gel on the training ground will only see them get better in the run-in.
Toffolo links up very well with Karlan Grant on the left, whilst Smith Rowe naturally drifts into their left channel. That trio have a good understanding already, but more time working on that in training will only benefit Cowley.
Additionally, Stearman has settled well alongside Christopher Schindler at centre-back, but this break gives them a chance to get to know each other’s games better.
Cowley knows Town are far from the finished article – he admitted that after the loss to Leeds – but now, he’s got a chance to really chip into his players to get them to where he wants them.