The sun is shining, Milan and Inter are off to training camps in Dubai and the papers are full of transfer window tittle tattle. It all feels like July here in Italy.

Serie A does not resume until January 12 following a midseason break which began after league leaders Inter beat beleaguered rivals Milan 2-1 on December 23. The holiday period has given Inter’s long list of injured players a chance to recover but may also have taken some of the wind out of their sails. The champions must work off those Christmas lunches in a bid to continue their electric form.

Milan, who have failed to win at the San Siro against Italian opposition all season, face a tough run of fixtures in the coming months following the rearrangement of their abandoned match with Atalanta from November and the two games they skipped while winning the Club World Cup last month.

They are probably glad of a three week break but playing Atalanta, Reggina and Livorno now rather than in late January and February would have spread out their matches more evenly.

At least it has given Ronaldo some extra time to try to shake off nagging leg problems which have restricted him to just one match this term, while 18-year-old compatriot Pato is eager to make his Milan debut when he is eligible to play later this month.

As Kevin said in his blog earlier this week, midseason breaks in Italy and Spain have allowed the Premier League in England to steal the headlines with some traditional high-scoring thrillers over the Christmas period.

So what’s the verdict on midseason breaks? A good opportunity for teams to recharge their batteries or a needless stoppage which halts the league when it was just getting interesting?

Mark Meadows, Milan