INTERnational roundup: How did Nerazzurri players fare with their countries?

Most club fans don't really like international breaks (myself included). They seem to drag on forever, and there is always the fear of a player getting injured while away. Once it's over club supporters breathe a sigh of relief and can get back down to business. Since all of Mancini's players have returned from their respective call-ups and are back preparing for the Derby, we can take a look at how each player fared while away.

Brozovic was called up by Croatia to play in Euro 2016 qualifying matches. He was subbed on in the 71st minute of the 0-0 draw against Azerbaijan but played the full 90 minutes in their second game against Norway which ended in a 2-0 defeat. Perisic also featured in both of these matches as a starter. There were some fears that Perisic had picked up an injury after the first game but his performance in the Norway match indicated that it was nothing serious. A disappointing international break for the Croatian side saw them lose their second place status in Group H to Norway and resulted in their coach Niko Kovac being fired.

Dimarco got a chance to showcase his talents at Italy's U-19 friendly against the Netherlands. He played for just over an hour of the 0-0 match.

Handanovic returned to Slovenia for two Euro 2016 qualifying matches in which he played the full 90 minutes for each. The first was a 3-2 loss to Switzerland while the second was a 1-0 win over Estonia. These results leave his side in 3rd place in their battle for a spot at the 2016 tournament in France.

Jovetic continued his heroics with the Montenegrin national team. In their first match against Liechtenstein he scored and recorded an assist in their 2-0 victory. He also played 88 minutes of their second qualifying match against Moldova which also ended in a 2-0 win. These six points saw Montenegro end the international break in 4th place in Group G, one point behind Sweden.

Kondogbia got a limited chance with the French national team. He did not feature in their first match, a 1-0 win over Portugal, but he did get a chance in their second match. He came on at half time in a 2-1 friendly win over Serbia.

Ljajic just so happened to be on that Serbian team that took on France. In that game Ljajic was subbed in after 55 minutes but he did get a chance to start their first international match, a 2-0 Euro qualifying win over Armenia. He managed to get a goal in that match as well. Serbia is at the bottom of Group I with only one point after this  international break (they received a 3 point deduction after a drone incident in a match against Albania).

Manaj got a call-up by the Albanian U-21 team for their match against Israel. The young attacker played for about 30 minutes of the match.

Medel was called up by the reigning Copa America champions Chile for their friendly against Paraguay. He played the full 90 minutes of their 3-2 victory.

Miranda played for Brazil in their friendlies against both Peru and the United States. He featured in the full 90 minutes of the 1-0 victory over the Peruvians, but only lasted 23 minutes of the second match before going off injured. Mancini is waiting on test results to see the full extent of the injury but it looks like he will miss the Milan Derby.

Murillo played the full 90 minutes of Colombia's 1-1 draw with Peru.

Nagatomo was called up for Japan's World Cup 2018 qualification matches and played the full 90 minutes of both their 3-0 win over Cambodia and their 6-0 win against Afghanistan.

Ranocchia was called up for Italy's matches against Malta and Bulgaria. They both ended in 1-0 victories for the Azzurri, but Inter's captain did not feature in either match.

Now that the international break is over focus can be shifted back to where it matters, Serie A. The Derby della Madonnina is fast approaching, and Mancini needs to make sure his players are ready for this big game.