View from the opposition: Chievo

“It’s been a positive season thus far. Chievo’s attitude in Serie A has been spot on and they have managed to claim some big scalps, none more so than Lazio who they thrashed 4-0 in August. They also earned a 1-1 draw away at Juventus on 12 September. Chievo sit on 22 points after 17 rounds of matches, which is an excellent haul if you think that around 40 points is going to be enough to avoid relegation this year. On top of that, Chievo had 17 points at this point last season, so they are five points better off now. Another positive is the fact that all of Chievo’s forwards have managed to score and players that weren’t expected to play a big part have done well, like Roberto Inglese.”

How have the new summer signings settled in?

“All of the summer signings are doing well. Massimo Gobbi, who was at Parma last season, has been playing well in defence all season. Wide midfielder Lucas Castro is also having a good season and is someone coach Rolando Maran has a lot of faith in – he played under Maran at Catania too. As I said, the big revelation has been Roberto Inglese, who has become one of the key forwards at Chievo and has scored some vital goals that have had a big bearing on the club’s league standing. Nicola Rigoni is back from a loan at Cittadella and although it seemed like he’d be moved on in the summer he ended up staying due to the injury to Ivan Radovanovic. He’s made 12 appearances and performed impressively. Finally, goalie Fabrizio Cacciatore has come in from Samp and usurped the veteran Sebastian Frey. So as I say, all of the players that joined Chievo over the summer are integrating into Maran’s side well.”

Who has been Chievo’s most consistent player so far?




“I’ll go with Riccardo Meggiorini. Over the 17 games he has been consistent in the standard of his performances, plus he’s scored four goals and given a bunch of assists. He’s also brought the best out of Chievo’s other forward, Alberto Paloschi, who has scored six goals so far.

"Meggiorini is building on his good season last time round – he joined Chievo in July 2014 and there was some discontent from the fans because he’s a Hellas fan, the other team in Verona. But he’s been able to turn that into applause with his performances on the pitch. As well as his four goals, the highlight from Meggiorini this year has been his wonderful backheel assist for Paloschi to score against Lazio in Week 2.”

What has been Chievo’s best performance of the season and why?

“Without a doubt, it was the match against Lazio at the Stadio Bentegodi on 30 August, when Chievo completely dominated their opponents and inflicted a well-deserved 4-0 defeat. The goals came from Meggiorini, Valter Birsa and Paloschi, who scored two, and in general Maran’s side produced a fantastic performance. Their passing was spot on and they even missed some chances, so the margin of victory could have been even wider.”

What has been the worst match and what went wrong?

“The worst performance was the last match before Chirstmas, away at Fiorentina. Chievo were never in the game at all, though you have to say that Fiorentina are a really strong side. As well as that game, there have been two defeats that everyone is still smarting from and that Chievo really threw away – firstly the 3-2 defeat to Genoa at Marassi in October, when the hosts scored the winner in added time despite being a man down, and secondly the 1-0 loss away to Palermo in November, when Chievo wasted a string of chances before being punished by a late Alberto Gilardino goal.”

Which area of the team has been the strongest so far and which has been the least effective?




“I don’t think any area of the team is performing too badly – after all Chievo are having a good season and, as I’ve mentioned, their performances mean they deserve to have even more points than they currently do. I think that the midfield is the strongest area of the team: Lucas Castro always plays to a high standard, Nicola Rigoni has done well over the past few months and Perparim Hetemaj’s consistency has made him a key player for Maran.

"The numbers show that the forward line is having a good season too, contributing to 13 of Chievo’s 21 goals scored so far through Paloschi, Meggiorini, Inglese and Sergio Pellissier. Down the other end of the pitch, Chievo have only conceded 18 goals, which means they have the sixth-best defence in Serie A – not bad!”

From what you’ve seen of all the Serie A teams, which side has impressed you the most so far?




“Sassuolo. The fact that they’re right up in there in Serie A, in the European places, is a bit of a miracle. Their squad undergoes big changes every summer, but Eusebio Di Francesco always manages to get the best from his team and that’s especially true this season.

"In terms of the teams fighting for the title, I would say that Napoli play the best football while Inter are demonstrating a level of solidity that was quite unexpected and have got their performances spot on in almost all of their games this season.”

What have you made of Roma’s season?




“Roma have had a bit of a stuttering season so far. There have been some ups and downs but they’re still in a good position to fight for the Scudetto seeing as they’re only four points off leaders Inter. The Giallorossi have a first-rate squad and potentially they have everything it takes to win the league. I’m sure they will want to prove that and that’s what they have to do – starting from Wednesday’s game…”

Who is the Roma player most Chievo fans fear?




“I’d say Gervinho because he’s a player that can win you a game at any time. His speed and his change of pace can cause the Chievo defence problems.”

If you could add one Roma player to Chievo’s team, who would you pick and why?




“I would choose Miralem Pjanic because of the way Maran sets his side up. His brilliance and the quality of his passing and free-kicks would definitely guarantee Chievo points.”

What’s your score prediction for Wednesday?

“I’m going with a draw. Roma will come to the Bentegodi desperate to start the second half of the season strong and cut the gap with Inter, but Chievo can play with freedom and confidence after their good season so far. It’s also Chievo’s 500th match in Serie A so they’re certainly not going to lie down, though it’s going to be tough for them to contain Roma’s desire. That’s why I think it could be a draw.”