View from the opposition: Sampdoria

23 games into the Serie A campaign, what have you made of Sampdoria's season so far?

“Their season has been affected by the change in the dugout, with Vincenzo Montella taking over from Walter Zenga in mid-November.

“Samp went through some highs and lows with Zenga in charge after getting knocked out of the Europa League by Vojvodina in early August. They didn't do badly once Serie A got underway but Zenga never hit it off with the fans and the club sacked him after they lost to Fiorentina at the start of November.

“Montella was brought in – to widespread acclaim – but looking at the numbers he's done worse than his predecessor. Samp have picked up just eight points in 11 games under the new coach and so far he's been rather disappointing, both for the club and the fans, because they expected things to pick up quickly after his appointment.”

How have the summer signings fared and how do you rate Sampdoria's January transfer business?

“One of the summer signings who had impressed the most was Ervin Zukanovic, who joined from Chievo in the summer before moving to Roma in January. Besides scoring three goals, the Bosnian displayed great versatility by doing a good job both at centre-back and at left-back.

“Another player who's looked good is Joaquin Correa. Although he actually joined last January, he's only been playing regularly and showing what he can do this season. He's started scoring in recent weeks too, showing he can carry the team when they're struggling.

“Eder was sold to Inter in the January transfer window and that's a huge loss because he'd played done well in the previous six months and was the club's top scorer with 12 goals from 19 games.

“A number of players were brought in, with Fabio Quagliarella a late signing from Torino to replace Eder. He only made a cameo debut appearance against his former club on Wednesday so you can't really assess him yet.

“Andrea Ranocchia and former Roma man Dodo were signed from Inter – both on loan – with contrasting results so far. Ranocchia has been poor in both games he's played while Dodo has done better, especially when going forward as he's already set up two goals.

“There were two other late arrivals in the last weekend of January: Modibo Diakite and Jacopo Sala. They both played against Torino on Wednesday but both picked up muscle injuries so they will play no part in the game at the Olimpico.”

Who has been Sampdoria's most consistent player so far?

“I'd say the biggest positive since the start of the season is Joaquin Correa. He was dubbed the new Javier Pastore when he joined from Estudiantes in January 2015 but barely got a look in with Sinisa Mihajlovic in the dugout last term, maybe because while possessing great technical ability he lacked a bit of fight. He's settled in better now and this season – especially in the latter part – his performances have been much better. All three of his goals have come in the last month, against Carpi on 17 January, Napoli on the 24th and Bologna on the 31st. But apart from those goals, Correa is playing with a lot more character now and that's clear from the way he's carried the team at times.”

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

“Definitely the 3-2 derby victory over Genoa on 5 January 2016. That was the highest point of Montella's reign so far. It's obviously the game that means the most to the fans and Sampdoria got that one spot on with a really strong performance. The Blucerchiati were 3-0 up and Genoa only scored their two goals late on.”

What has been the worst match and what went wrong?

“Probably when they lost to Carpi in Modena on 17 January because that was a game when Samp were expected to finally start kicking on in the league but instead they lost to a team that was weaker on paper. Montella's side fell behind to a Lorenzo Lollo goal and got back into it too late. Even though Correa equalised they ended up losing to a Jerry Mbakogu penalty. The most worrying aspect on display at the Braglia that afternoon was their poor mental approach to the game, especially as it was against one of their rivals battling to beat the drop. While Sampdoria got their mentality wrong, Carpi got theirs right and that's why they won it.”

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

“Attack has definitely been the best area as their 35 goals puts them behind four great teams in Napoli, Juventus, Fiorentina and Roma. It's hardly surprising given the quality at their disposal up front: Up until January they had Eder, who is still the league's second-top scorer on 12, and they have other guys like Luis Muriel and Antonio Cassano who are clearly talented. Quagliarella has come in now to replace Eder and he's scored over 140 goals at all levels.

“On the other hand, they're leaking goals at the back – 41 so far, giving them the worst defensive record after Frosinone's 48. The club tried to patch things up and strengthen at the back in January but so far Ranocchia, Dodo and Diakite haven't made much difference in terms of the number of goals conceded.”

Which side in Serie A has impressed you the most over the first half of the season?

“Juventus' strength and solidity is what has impressed me most this season. I always had them down as favourites for the title, even when they started the first few months slowly. I didn't think much of their poor start and I knew Allegri had a top-quality team so the run of 13 league wins they've put together now doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Napoli remain a serious contender for the title but I think Juventus are a notch above them and will go all the way.”

What have you made of Roma’s first half of the season?

“The new coach seems to have had a positive impact and I think they can climb back up the table now. I also think they did some very smart transfer business. Clearly things have gone well for them as well, Stephan El Shaarawy managing to impose himself with two goals in as many games for example. He was a bit of a question mark because he hasn't been playing regularly enough in recent seasons for you to know what to expect when he joined Roma. The Giallorossi believed in him though and so far he's repaid that faith with goals. I think Spalletti can help Roma regain a few positions in the table and end the season well, although in all honesty I can't see them getting back into Scudetto contention – I feel that's a two-horse race between Napoli and Juventus now.”

Which Roma player should Sampdoria fans fear the most?

“El Shaarawy is the man at the moment. He's on a high so I reckon he's capable of doing anything he wants against Sampdoria, as he did against Frosinone and Sassuolo. I think El Shaarawy is a top-level player anyway and if you add in the fact that he's come to the capital with huge motivation I believe he could be the key man for Spalletti's side on Sunday night.”

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

“I'd pick Daniele De Rossi and play him in defence because Sampdoria desperately need someone to lead the team and orchestrate the backline. The 41 goals conceded so far tells you that their defence – regardless of how good they might be individually – has been very weak, psychologically too. The charisma, class and experience of someone like De Rossi would be just what the doctor ordered and he'd help sort them out.”

What's your score prediction for Sunday's match?

“Roma definitely start as clear favourites but I'd like to think that Sampdoria – desperately needing points to make sure they don't get sucked into a relegation battle – will be able to produce a battling display drawing on all the grit and determination they possess. So I'm going to go against the form book and say it will be a draw.”