Two sides to every break [Newsletter]

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Oct 10, 2024

The international break is underway and this means that several AC Milan players will soon be in action for their respective countries. While most of us would agree that the Rossoneri have some work to do in order to claim the second star, it’s undeniable that there are a lot more international call-ups now compared to just a few years ago. Of course, this comes with its pros and cons.

Although most might think that international breaks and games only affect Milan negatively, that isn’t entirely true. By having their stars compete at the highest level on the international front as well, there is a bigger chance that these will reach their absolute top. Tijjani Reijnders is a great example of someone who has taken another step since becoming a regular for his country, as we saw during the Euros.

In addition to this, the stars could entice people to start following Milan and thus help the brand grow. It’s probably true that the Champions League does the biggest job on that front, consistently anyway, but becoming fond of a player during a big national-team tournament is often given as a reason for supporting a certain club. So this should not be underestimated.

On the other hand, a call-up is certainly not a guarantee for success with the national team and Rafael Leao’s performances during the Euros probably highlighted that the best. Just as it could increase the value of a player, it could also do the exact opposite even if that’s a risk you simply have to take. Not to mention that an increasing amount of games more often than not leads to injuries.

For the current international break, a total of 18 players have been called up - you can find the full list here - and that is certainly more than we were used to a few years ago. For once, there is actually a Milan player in the Italian national team as Matteo Gabbia has been called up by Luciano Spalletti. Extremely well deserved, not just because of this season but also the second half of last.

Still, just one player in the Italian team isn’t good enough and this is one of the many things that Giorgio Furlani and his colleagues must work on. The likes of Davide Bartesaghi, Francesco Camarda, Mattia Liberali, Lorenzo Torriani and Kevin Zeroli have all been called up for the youth sides and the hope is that they will become important players for the first team in the future.

As for the dates of the international fixtures, the only thing to note (as always) is that Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic have an away game against Mexico early on Wednesday morning for us Europeans (04:30). The Udinese clash, meanwhile, is scheduled for Saturday evening (18:00) and it thus remains to be seen if especially the winger will play from the first minute.

News Bulletin

➤ Life continues to be difficult for Daniele Bonera and Milan Futuro in Serie C as they fell to second-bottom in the table after a 1-0 defeat to newly-promoted Pianese. Bonera is apparently not at risk as the head coach yet, but things could change without an improvement, especially given the huge struggles scoring goals.

➤ The AC Milan Women continued their mini-resurgence by following up a winner inside the last 10 minutes in the previous game with a 1-0 victory over Napoli that came via a 94th-minute goal from Dompig.

➤ Milan Primavera were unable to recover from the UEFA Youth League setback against Bayer Leverkusen as they were beaten 3-1 by Bologna away from home over the weekend, missing the chance to keep pace with Juventus, Roma and Fiorentina at the top.

➤ A report on Wednesday claimed that Theo Hernandez is causing worry for the Milan management because he wants €8m net per year to renew. However, his agent has hit back at what he perceives to be destabilising rumours, insisting that his client wishes to renew but that the club haven't been in touch for months.

➤ A report from Corriere dello Sport claimed that Milan are looking for two midfielders and a full-back, linking three targets in particular. Meanwhile, Daniel Maldini's story at Milan might not be over, Pierre Kalulu is heading for a permanent Juventus switch and Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez revealed that the Rossoneri tried to sign him, suggesting a future move would be welcome.

➤ Our longer reads in the past week include tactical analyses of the games against Bayer Leverkusen and Fiorentina, as well as a round-up of each of the 18 players called up for international duty breaking down their fixtures.