Tottenham boss Martin Jol admits he's no fan of international week.

"Any manager will tell you that they don't like it - and I certainly feel that way," Jol told the club's website on not having his full quota of players to work with at Spurs Lodge. "You don't see your players and they could get injured.

"They all want to play for their countries, I understand that and I would never stand in their way. On the other hand, sometimes the breaks can be a pain and affect your planning.

"We had the first six weeks with pre-season and in the second six you want to overload your players to make them fitter and fitter. Last year it certainly came off because we could peak all the time, but if they are gone for over a week it makes it much more difficult. You must hope for the best that they all come back without any injuries."

Despite not being his favoured times of the season, Jol does admit that sometimes working with a smaller group can be a useful exercise.

"I have to say that last time when the likes of JJ were around, for me it was a great opportunity and they trained very well. So sometimes it is not so bad."