Six of the 13 players who have been called up for international duty will play on a different continent, which could subsequently be a problem for AC Milan.
As we have become more used to in recent years, with Milan consistently having top-quality players, many of them head out on international duty during the breaks. This time out, a total of 13 of them were called up and the schedule is rather hectic for them.
While we are mostly looking at friendly games in view of the World Cup, it’s the destinations that have made things a little worrying for Milan. Indeed, you can’t just look at the playing time on the pitch, as travel to and from the games also has to be considered.
Demanding travels
Gazzetta dello Sport’s Luca Bianchin (via MilanNews) has commented on the matter, highlighting the fact that six players will be on another continent during the break. In other words, long travels and a time difference could lead to jet lag issues.
“The 13 Milan players called up for international duty will travel over 100,000 kilometres. There are no statistics on international travel during international breaks, but for a modern club, it’s very rare to have six players playing on a different continent. Milan have Maignan, Rabiot, Saelemaekers, De Winter, Modric, and Pulisic.
“The travel issue is highly topical because Napoli-Milan is the last Scudetto match: take it or leave it. Allegri would like to avoid having tired players or, worse, players with physical problems.
“Rabiot and Maignan’s France will play between Boston and Washington, Saelemaekers and De Winter’s Belgium between Atlanta and Chicago, and Modric’s Croatia in Orlando. Then, of course, Pulisic’s United States will be… at home, in Atlanta,” he stated.
