AC Milan: Three hopes, one fear

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NAPLES, ITALY – AUGUST 27: Referee Paolo Valeri shows the red card to Juraj Kucka during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and AC Milan at Stadio San Paolo on August 27, 2016 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images) /

Hope #2: That Jurja Kucka can stay away from the referee’s book.

If you watched an AC Milan match last season and saw a player draw a card chances are it was Jurja Kucka. Kucka received 11 yellow cards last season which was the most among all Milan players and was tied for fourth most in Serie A (bested only by Fernando, Mauricio, and Federico Dionisi). Kucka has never been an angel but last season was particularly difficult for the Slovakian international.

Kucka’s discipline issue has pushed over to the rest of the Milan side. The club has already earned three red cards and eleven yellow cards this season. Kucka earned one of the three red cards this season in Milan’s 4-2 loss to Napoli earlier in the season.

Long gone are the days that Milan can just call up any defender from the bench to immediately fill in. This is a young and untested Milan side and without an experienced defender like Kucka Milan will struggle. The club did bring in Gustavo Gomez from Lanus, one of the best young South American defenders available during the summer transfer window. But beyond Gomez the cupboard is a bit bare.

Montella has never exactly been known as a disciplinarian but at Sampdoria he did show that his sides can play a disciplined style that will allow them to bunch of their weight. Milan could use a bit of that this season.

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