From Francesco Totti’s tattoo of an ancient warrior to the Colosseum-like qualities of the Italian capital’s Stadio Olimpico, using quotes and scenes from Ridley Scott’s cinematic masterpiece Gladiator when discussing AS Roma is unquestionably cliched, but sometimes the parallels are impossible to escape.
This week that most certainly held true. Shortly after killing his father and becoming Emperor, a bored Commodus is discussing what to do with his new-found power.“Yes…the greatness of Rome. And what is that?” he ponders aloud while idly spinning a heavy sword. “It's an idea,” replies his sister Lucilla. “Greatness… greatness is a vision.”
After weeks and months of speculation, the Serie A club this week appointed Monchi – the man who enjoyed great success at Sevilla – as their new Sporting Director, and it will now be his “vision” that helps to shape the on-field future of the Giallorossi. He arrives with an incredible pedigree and some of his moves in the past have been nothing short of brilliant, able to regularly find players in obscure locations and, after watching them thrive, sell them on for a huge profit.
He also built them into a cohesive and successful team, the Andalusian side lifting no fewer than eleven major honours during his tenure, a haul which includes no fewer than five UEFA Cup/Europa League triumphs. Coaches came and went, the squad was continually turned over both in order to enjoy large profits and to continually improve, but Monchi instilled an ethos and a belief that flowed through the entire club.
Clearly ambitious, he now finds himself working for a man who shares that burning desire for glory, indeed for the very greatness of which Lucilla spoke. James Pallotta is the President of Roma, and he is seemingly hellbent on making the Giallorossi a major force both in Italy and Europe, striving to make them the very best they can be. He has, with the help of some truly knowledgeable and intelligent people, revolutionised the club off the field.
Buzz words like modernization, streamlining and direction are often the antithesis of football, a game that appears to revel in being stuck in the supposedly glorious days of yesteryear. How else can you explain talk of opening a chequebook and using a fax machine every time the transfer window rolls around? The global game loves its traditions.
Nowhere is that more true than Italy, where the sight of a proud Bostonian running one of the country’s most popular clubs was somewhat jarring at first. Mr Pallotta was Serie A’s first foreign owner, but now a number of teams – including both Milan-based sides – are in the hands of Chinese consortia while Palermo too have an American president.
Yet, much like Commodus, Pallotta’s Roma remains a vision. A powerful and enticing one, but something that has yet to become a reality. He dreams of making them part of the European elite but has yet to see them become regulars in the Champions League group stage let alone the knockout rounds. He has unveiled plans for an amazing new stadium, but work has yet to begin as the project suffers countless delays thanks to Italy’s seemingly endless layers of unnecessary and superfluous bureaucracy.
Roma dream of challenging Juventus for the Scudetto, yet the past four seasons have seen the Bianconeri win the title every time and the capital club finish a combined 70 points behind. In the current campaign, the gap is another eight with the two sides yet to go head-to-head, the Turin giants seemingly certain to lift a record sixth-consecutive title.
Last summer, Miralem Pjanić left Roma to join Juve, a move which unquestionably allowed the latter to remain fully in command of the domestic scene and it is difficult to imagine how they can even begin to bridge the cavernous gulf between them.
However, insurmountable odds are a Monchi speciality. After all, here is a man who looked at the duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona, rolled up his sleeves and then repeatedly beat them to the punch. They may have never finished top of La Liga, but Sevilla enjoyed remarkable success, taking great pride in the glorious moments they enjoyed under the noses of Spain’s unreachable big two. It is no surprise that the pair of giants repeatedly went shopping at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium. The Blaugrana paid small fortunes for the likes of Dani Alves and Ivan Rakitić, while their El Clasico rivals bought Sergio Ramos and Denis Cheryshev there among many others in recent years.
Those two worlds now collide. Monchi’s ability to thrive in adverse circumstances and Roma’s wonderful idyllic plan for the future. Can the 48-year-old repeat his magic outside of the only club he has ever represented both as a player and an official? Can he integrate himself into the culture of Serie A while simultaneously looking to rise above it and elevate the Giallorossi to the level they seek to attain?
The 2016/17 campaign may yet end with Juventus writing more history and breaking even more records, but next season it is certainly going to be interesting to watch how Roma progress. To come full circle and predictably end with another Gladiator reference, the Colosseum awaits, and it will now be up to the Spaniard to ensure the crowd are properly entertained.
