View from the opposition: Fiorentina

Twenty-seven games into the Serie A campaign, what have you made of Fiorentina's season so far?

"It's been very positive, with Fiorentina currently in third place on 53 points from 27 games. The Viola had a great start – almost perfect – picking up six wins from their opening seven games. The run was then momentarily halted with the two defeats against Napoli and Roma, but it continued fairly well from there and the team has never been out of the top spots in the table.

"A large share of the credit for this goes to the coach Paulo Sousa who arrived during the summer in an air of uneasiness following the fraught goodbye to Vincenzo Montella. Add on top of that the failed attempt to buy Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who turned the Viola down at the last minute opting to go to Lazio, and the case of Mario Gomez, who should have been the striker of the future but instead was a flop in Tuscany.

"All in all, Sousa inherited a squad with various new additions and was able to gel them together to his liking. He's very clever on a tactical and psychological level and he's building a talented and competitive Fiorentina."

How have the summer signings fared and what's your assessment of the club's work in the transfer window just gone?

"“Nikola Kalinic was definitely the best signing from the summer and has been one of the league's surprise packages this season. The Croatian striker joined Fiorentina almost unnoticed from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and has slotted seamlessly in both the squad and the Italian football mentality, scoring 11 times so far.

"Aside from him, I want to highlight the product of the youth team Federico Bernardeschi, even though he's not a new signing. After his first few appearances in Serie A last season, the club has really set out their stall on Federico this year. The 22-year-old is responding really well in his performances and I believe he's destined for great things on a national and international stage.

"Moving onto the January transfer window, let's say we expected more in terms of arrivals. The defender Yohan Benalouane, midfielders Panagiotis Kone and Tino Costa and striker Mauro Zarate all joined the club. Only the latter has revealed himself to be of any note, seeing as the others haven't been handed much game time. The Argentine talent is a utility man who Sousa can deploy in attack and so far he's done pretty well on the occasions he's played, even scoring a crucial goal against Carpi at the beginning of February."

Who has been Fiorentina's best player so far?

"Aside from Nikola Kalinic, whom I've mentioned has been the surprise package for the Viola this season, the symbol of this Fiorentina side is Borja Valero. The Spaniard is an intelligent midfielder tactically who is able to dictate the tempo and in Sousa's possession-based game he comes strongly to the fore. His performances have almost always been positive with very few drop-offs."

What has been Fiorentina's best performance of the season and why?

"The 4-1 win against Inter at San Siro on 27 September 2015 when the Viola played fantastically, dominating the opposition and scoring three goals in the first 23 minutes. Sousa's players bossed it that evening and Kalinic scored a wonderful hat-trick, underlining his status as Serie A's new revelation.

"In terms of overall performance, encompassing both Fiorentina and the opposition together, the two games against Napoli stand out. On both occasions there was beautiful, spectacular football on show, with the teams playing on the offensive and trying to put together put moves and goalscoring chances."

What has been the worst match and what went wrong?

"I'd distinguish between worst match in terms of mentality and worst match in terms of performance. The worst psychologically was the home defeat to Roma at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, when the Giallorossi through Mohamed Salah caught the Viola napping. Fiorentina were stunned and didn't know how to react in the best way. We expected more from Sousa's men on that occasion.

"The worst on the performance side of things was the home loss to Carpi in the Coppa Italia, when Fiorentina messed everything up and let an opportunity go to waste in a competition when they could have reached the final at least."

Which areas of the team have been the most and least effective so far?

"The defence has shown that it's the most fragile aspect of the team this season, with 27 goals conceded so far at an average of one a game. Individual players like Nenad Tomovic or Facundo Roncaglia have proved they have gaps in their technique, even though others like Davide Astori and Gonzalo Rodriguez are doing fairly well. In general, I think this is the area where the Viola are lacking the most.

"On the other hand, Fiorentina are doing best in attack, with 48 goals scored and great displays from Kalinic, Bernardeschi, Josip Ilicic and Khouma Babacar. In fact, their performances place the Viola as the third-best attack in Serie A – jointly with Juventus – behind only Napoli and Roma."

Which side in Serie A has impressed you the most so far?

"Undoubtedly Juventus, who went from near the bottom of the league to the top in just a few months thanks to an extraordinary comeback. The Bianconeri have demonstrated they're not only a close-knit squad, but also solid and clinical on the pitch. For me, all this makes Massimiliano Allegri's side the ones to beat for the title."

How do you rate Roma under Luciano Spalletti?

"In opting for Spalletti, I think the Giallorossi set off on the right foot in their attempt to claw back lost ground from the beginning of the season, which is what they're doing. I don't think Roma can really bother Juventus who have built a lead and are riding the wave of an extraordinary run of form. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Spalletti's team finishes ahead of Fiorentina and even Napoli at the end of the season. Once again, I think the decision to hire the Tuscan coach was a very good one and in my opinion he'll help Roma to do well in the future."

Which Roma player should Fiorentina fans fear the most?

"I reckon Stephan El Shaarawy is the player that the Viola need to keep their eyes on the most. He's a top player, versatile and quality, who has a lot of motivation in coming to Roma. His objective is to bounce back after a disappointing period at AS Monaco and win his spot at the Euros with Italy. In my opinion, getting El Shaarawy in January was the best move Roma could have made."

If you could add one Roma player to Fiorentina's squad, who would you pick and why?

"Since Sousa's game is based on possession and moving the ball about quickly, one player that would fit in easily with his style of football is Miralem Pjanic. I believe the Bosnian would understand perfectly the runs of Borja Valero, Ilicic and Bernardeschi and would supply Kalinic with countless balls to bang in the net."

What's your score prediction for tonight'smatch?

"I'm saying a home win or a draw. A draw would be a big result for Fiorentina and, at the same time, it wouldn't dent Roma's comeback. I'm not ruling out a home win because, with the squad they have, the Giallorossi at the Olimpico simply have to aim for victory. Let's see what happens on the pitch..."