Listeners of the ESPN Soccernet Podcast may remember an episode about 18 months ago when producer Adam Williams compared then-Middlesbrough left-winger Stewart Downing to Bayern Munich maestro Franck Ribery. Adam got quite the ribbing over that remark, and his colleagues still give him stick about it when the opportunity presents itself.

You're only as good as your best players. It's a saying that coaches come back to time and again, no matter the sport. And it's a mantra that will be giving Martin O'Neill much joy as his top men depart for the international break.

The opening third of the Premier League campaign could not have ended on a finer note for the Aston Villa manager. A convincing win over Bolton Wanderers to remain in fifth place; a comprehensive performance with goals spaced 70 minutes apart. And most encouragingly, another fine performance turned in by James Milner, who scored once and set up a pair of goals en route to the 5-1 victory. The display was enough to earn the 23-year-old another call-up to the England squad.