Why Heavy Defeat to Bayern Munich Can Inspire the New Era at AS Roma

It isn't easy to find positives in a 1-7 home defeat, even if it was to arguably the best side in football. But in some respects, Roma might have seen it coming.

No team wants to think about suffering such resounding subjugation but attempting to climb from the mire of mid-table mediocrity in Italy to the highest level of European football was never going to be easy.

Prior to the game, the atmosphere in the Olimpico was electric. It's an emotional place in general, and even when it falls far short of its 70,000 capacity, Rome's cavernous stadium is never short on ambiance. The last time Bayern Munich came to town, in 2010, it was a 3-2 thriller and the sellout crowd expected more of the same.

Of course, a lot has happened to both teams since Francesco Totti's 84th-minute penalty gave the Giallorossi that win four years ago.

Bayern have won the Champions League after finishing runners-up, and built a squad that provided the core for Germany's convincing march to victory in this summer's World Cup. Fortunes have been more mixed in the Italian capital.

That win over the Germans in 2010 was the swansong of the old regime; a final fling from an ageing group of players at a club that had been in decline for years. They could still mix it with the best on a good day, but they struggled against Cluj and lost to Basel in Rome.

Since then, the Lupi have found new American owners, and after stumbling somewhat in the early stages, they have begun an ambitious project not just to restore the club but to reinvent it.

Roma is a curious case. It's one of the world's most famous clubs, but it lacks the trophy cabinet of a truly big team. There's always been an element of fatalism among fans in the capital, an acceptance—or acquiescence, at least—that though they might play beautiful football in a city that lives and breathes for the game, success would evade them.

As Totti has often said, "A scudetto here is worth 10 in other cities." The traditional power in Italian football is rooted firmly in the wealthy north, and coupled with the corruption of the past and the country's love for Machiavellian conspiracy theories, Romanisti were resigned to the fact that the fates were aligned against them.

Zdenek Zeman, for example, is a legend not because he won anything—he never wins anything—but because he played a brand of football that was as chaotic and bewitching as the city itself, and because he never missed an opportunity to take up arms against the calcio's traditional powers.

That, and victory in the derby with Lazio, used to be enough. When success did come, it was always the exception rather than the rule. Not anymore. The new ownership has set out to change that mentality and awaken the biggest sleeping giant of Italian football. This Roma, while still playing to entertain, also plays to win.

A measure of success has come surprisingly quickly in Serie A, but competing with Europe's elite was never going to be so easy. Most of the clubs that Roma would like to equal have vastly bigger budgets and more importantly, a wealth of experience playing at the highest level. That's why a disappointment like this one was somewhat inevitable.

Bayern have one of the best squads in the world but technically Roma shouldn't feel as if they're far from the mark. The defense could have done with Leandro Castan, but players like Daniele De Rossi, Miralem Pjanic and Radja Nainggolan would not be out of place at the Allianz Arena or the Santiago Bernabeu.

The difference on the night was not so much about ability—it was between the two sides' mentality where the real gulf lay.

The last time Roma suffered such a heavy defeat, against Manchester United in the 2006-07 UCL quarter-finals, it was a very different situation.

Luciano Spalletti's time in Rome saw some happy moments and they often ran Inter close to the title, but in the wake of Calciopoli the league was in tatters and they were the only two clubs left unscathed.

The Tuscan coach did a remarkable job on a limited budget and is still remembered fondly by fans but after that debacle at Old Trafford it was clear he'd hit a glass ceiling that would frustrate him until his departure in 2009. Rosella Sensi, then president, had no money to spend and Spalletti was left to make do with a host of below-par new recruits every summer.

By contrast, Rudi Garica has enjoyed generous support since coming to Trigoria in 2013. The Frenchman has the kind of talent at his disposal that his recent predecessors could only have dreamed about and though the team is still a work in progress, there's no reason why they should allow themselves to dwell too much on this heavy defeat.

It's hard to swallow, sure, and more than a little depressing, but Garcia needs to lift his players and make sure that rather than allowing themselves to be overwhelmed by the scoreline, they learn from it.

With the exception of Totti, Daniele De Rossi and Maicon, the first team lacks winning experience. There's an abundance of aptitude, but as games like this one—and the capitulations to Juventus last season—show, they sometimes fall short when it comes to application.

The Roma that conceded five goals in the first half to a rampant Bayern wasn't the real Roma. Not even close to it. But having never faced such a ferocious and unforgiving adversary, the squad lacked the mental fortitude to get off the back foot after Robben's opener. 

Garcia will also learn some valuable lessons. Bayern knew how Roma would play and—much like Antonio Conte's Juventus—were set up perfectly to neutralise the threat. The Giallorossi can't expect to play the same style of football against Chievo Verona and a continental heavyweight if they want the same result.

If they can understand where they went wrong and work to make sure they don't do it again, this team can be stronger for the loss. Then, the shock of it—horrible though it must be in the short term—might even have some long-term benefit.

Roma aren't going to win the Champions League this year. That was never a realistic goal. They might reach the latter stages, and eventually lose to a superior side by a smaller margin. But in the dust of this 1-7 demolition, a clear line has been drawn for them. They now know—better than they ever hoped to—just how far they still have to go.

With some fine-tuning this Roma side can dominate in Italy and become a regular threat in Europe. No one doubts their quality. What they need now is composure.

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