Impressive Roma lead way in Italy

(CNN) -- There was nowhere to hide for Roma last season, as the eyes of the football world witnessed the public humiliation of their 7-1 Champions League defeat at Manchester United.

Francesco Totti, the Eternal City's sporting hero, cut a forlorn figure as he trooped off the Old Trafford pitch after last April's quarterfinal -- socks rolled around ankles even more prominently than is his style.

The realisation that Roma had failed on the major European stage was a bitter pill for Totti and his team-mates to swallow, yet behind the doom and gloom of that defeat, the bigger picture paints the club in a far more favorable light.

The Giallorossi currently sit proudly atop the Serie A table, the only team to hold maximum points after three matches, but their triumphant start to the season is no surprise and just continues the steady progress -- Old Trafford aside -- that the club has been making under the leadership of coach Luciano Spalletti.

Spalletti took charge at the start of the 2005-6 season, after achieving the seemingly-impossible by steering unfashionable Udinese to the Champions League by finishing fourth in Serie A the previous season.

Although Roma finished outside the Champions League places that season, they were awarded a spot in the competition after the match-fixing scandal saw Juventus and Fiorentina deducted points.

That first season also saw Spalletti's side break the Serie A record for 11 consecutive wins, while the team reached the Coppa Italia final, losing out to Inter over two legs.

With Juve and Milan ruled out of last season's Serie A race because of the scandal, some experts were predicting Roma could challenge hot favorites Inter for the title. In reality, Inter's strength in depth and deep pockets allowed them to stroll away with the Scudetto, but Roma proved to be an annoying thorn in their side all season.

Spalletti's team deprived Inter of celebrating their title success at the San Siro with a stunning 3-1 victory, a result that helped them clinch runners-up spot in the table.

They also thumped Inter 7-4 on aggregate, including a 6-2 win at the Olympic Stadium, to avenge their Coppa Italia final defeat of the season before and give Spalletti his first major title as a coach.

This season began in similar vein, with Roma's 1-0 win at the San Siro enough to give them the Italian Supercup title and cement their place as a major rival to Roberto Mancini's side.

Spalletti has bought well this summer. Flying full-back Cicinho arrived from Real Madrid, while experienced Frenchman Ludovic Giuly has strengthened an already impressive midfield while includes Italian World Cup winners Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perrotta.

With the mercurial Totti now concentrating solely on his club form after retiring from international football, Spalletti has developed an attacking, revolutionary 4-2-3-1 formation, which his players are carrying out in impressive style.

Roma still look short of having the necessary European expertise to triumph in the Champions League, but they look well equipped to carry on the good work from last season and bring the Scudetto back to the club for the first time in seven years. E-mail to a friend