Had things turned out a bit differently, Albion might have been in Milan today.

Okay, they would have had to have turned out VERY differently for the Seagulls to have beaten Roma in the last 16 of the Europa League.

The prize for the Giallorossi after that 4-1 aggregate win is a two-legged showdown with Milan.

But a different draw for the last 16, different luck with injuries, and Albion might still be involved.

Yesterday would have been matchday minus one and, had it been Milan, one can only imagine the flood of questions there would have been for Roberto De Zerbi at the club where he played as a kid.

There would have some fuss, too, over his assistant Andrea Maldera, whose family are steeped in Rossoneri tradition.

Or maybe they would have been in Lisbon, where Marseille tonight take on Benfica in the away leg.

Assuming Albion had been away in the first leg, they would have been back in England in the early hours of Friday and then flying off to presumably, Manchester, for the league game at Burnley.

From the San Siro to Turf Moor.

Instead, they have had a clear week.

As for De Zerbi and European commitments, his messaging has been somewhat mixed over the weeks.

Ultimately, we know he wants to be there.

He wanted to qualify last season, he did not want to be knocked out this time and he would love to be back next term.

The side Albion had last season would, at their best, have been serious contenders for the trophy.

De Zerbi has spoken about not liking free midweeks.

After the 3-0 defeat at Fulham, he spoke somewhat dismissively of playing golf on Wednesdays, making a “pop” sound meant, one assumed, to resemble the noise of a putter making contact with a ball.

He is unimpressed by the idea of having a day off in midweek, something he discovered when he came to England.

At the same time, he is quick to point out the advantages of having a clear week before games in which to prepare.

And that is the territory he has been in this week.

De Zerbi’s assertion that his team do better with time to prepare stands up to scrutiny.

The stats are helped by that early-season run of four wins in five when there was no Europe and very few injuries.

But the numbers are pretty clear.

From 14 games with at least a six-day lead-in, they have taken 24 points.

From 17 games with less prep time, they have 19 points.

Now bear in mind the games following a clear week (or more) include Liverpool and Manchester City away, which accounted for two of the four defeats.

Take those out of the equation and they average exactly two points per game when they have had six days or more in which to prepare.

Albion’s 2-2 home draw with Liverpool is looking better all the time given it came hot on the heels of the draining trip to Marseille.

The 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield United was three days after the win at Ajax.

Defeat at Chelsea closely followed the win in Athens.

So, again, do not under-value the 1-0 win at home to Nottingham Forest, via an own goal and with an average performance, three days after the 4-0 hammering at Roma.

The games after a quick turnaround have included home draws with the bottom two, Burnley and Sheffield United.

One of the four wins with little prep was the 4-1 over Crystal Palace which was, to a large degree, powered by the fact it came so soon after a mauling at Luton.

One of the games after a clear week was the 4-2 win at home to Tottenham, widely considered as De Zerbi’s finest tactical hour.

All four of their away wins in the Prem have come with time in which to prepare.

Of the remaining seven games, four will have decent lead-in times and three will be played in more of a hurry.

Albion fans might follow the Europa ties with a degree of interest tonight.

As well as events in Milan and Lisbon, Liverpool host Atalanta and there is a tough test for West Ham at Leverkusen.

Victory over two legs for the Hammers would be a double-edged plus for the Seagulls.

It would help the English co-efficient in relation to that of the Germans while also keeping the Hammers distracted in Europe.

And, as we have learned this season, spinning plates all week is not so easy.