View from the opposition: AC Milan

With just one league game left to play, how would you rate AC Milan’s season?

“It’s not been good enough: I’d give it a four out of ten. It’s been disappointing in every way, especially when you look at the league table. The Rossoneri risk missing out on the top six, which was the absolute minimum required, despite not having been involved in Europe this season – unlike their direct rivals. To make matters worse, they’ve never once played good football, they’ve not made the most of the players in their squad and they’ve not got the best out of the new signings they brought in in the summer.”

Who have been AC Milan’s best and worst signings this year?

“Despite it having been a poor season at the back I’ll go with Alessio Romagnoli, who in his first year as a starter at a big club has proven that he is a quality player with plenty of potential. He’s shown that he can deal with playing at a demanding place like San Siro. On the other side of the coin, the biggest disappointment has probably been Andrea Bertolacci. You can tell that he’s a good, hard-working midfielder, but people expected more from him.”

Who has been AC Milan’s best player this season?

“Juraj Kucka. The midfielder has been the revelation of the season, especially given the fact that the focus definitely wasn’t on him at the start of the campaign. The Slovakian has been really consistent in his performances over the course of the season, even carrying the side in some games. When he’s not played the Rossoneri midfield has really felt his absence. I’m sure lots of people would pick out Gianluigi Donnarumma as the best player of the season, but I’m sticking with Kucka because of his consistency and quality. As regards Donnarumma, despite only being 17 he’s shown real personality and amazing strength on the pitch – but he has made a few mistakes along the way. He’s certainly got bags of potential and there are not many young goalkeepers as good as him in Europe.”

What's been AC Milan’s best performance of the season and why?

“The 3-1 win over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico back in November. Philippe Mexes, Andrea Bertolacci and Carlos Bacca got the goals that day, back before Sinisa Mihajilovic was replaced by Cristian Brocchi in April. The Rossoneri played very well indeed in that game, serving up some really attacking football and showing that they could control a game from the first minute to the last. It seemed like that game could kick start their season because of the sheer quality of the performance, but it wasn’t to be.”

What was the worst performance and what went wrong exactly?

“AC Milan have had some heavy losses this season, not least the 4-0 home defeat by Napoli, but I think the worst performance was the 0-0 draw with Carpi at San Siro on 21 April. It was one of the Rossoneri’s worst performances in recent years. There were barely any chances, the tempo was slow and the side was listless. It was a match to forget, even though they didn’t actually lose it.”

What’s impressed you most about Luciano Spalletti's Roma side?

“Aside from Roma’s great run of results between February and now, the most striking thing is that just two weeks after Spalletti took charge we could once again see the wonderful movement we’d enjoyed years ago, during his first spell with the club. Spalletti’s brand of football is amazingly easy to recognise.”

Which Roma player should AC Milan fans fear the most?

“Stephan El Shaarawy. He’s back at his best under Spalletti, plus he’s scoring regularly again. No matter who the club is, it’s always a pleasure to see a good player like him return to top form. That said, the possibility that AC Milan might miss out on a Europa League spot because of an El Shaarawy goal would really be a dagger in the heart for the Rossoneri fans.”

If you could take one Roma player and add him to AC Milan’s squad, who would you choose and why?

“I’ll go with Kevin Strootman, because the Rossoneri are crying out for an organisational influence like him in the middle of the park. Riccardo Montolivo is no longer able to stitch the play together as he used to. It’s fantastic to see the Dutchman back playing. Incidentally, AC Milan had been interested in him when he joined Roma.”

What's your prediction for tonight’s game?

“Roma will be doing everything they can to try to snatch second place so I’m sure they will look to get the win at all costs. AC Milan have their own incentives too, but I don’t even think a win would guarantee the Rossoneri sixth spot and a Europa League place because I would imagine Sassuolo – the team directly competing with them for qualification – will beat Inter on the last day. In view of that, and given Spalletti’s side are in much better form than Brocchi’s, I’ll go with a 2-1 win to Roma.”