When Roma's over-excited fans staged a premature pitch invasion towards the end of Sunday's title-clinching 3-1 victory over Parma, perhaps the most remarkable sight was that of furious Roma coach Fabio Capello, storming up and down in a futile attempt to single-handedly repel some 20,000 or so fans who had climbed over the stadium barriers.
The whole incident was a vivid illustration of the fiery, determined and at times fearsome nature of the Roma coach, arguably the major architect of the title win.
Fifty-five-years-old yesterday, Capello is one of the best of a talented generation of Italian coaches that includes men like current national team coach Giovanni Trappatoni, Lazio coach Dino Zoff and newly reappointed Juventus coach, Marcello Lippi. Capello has now won six titles, four in Italy with AC Milan, one in Spain with Real Madrid and Sunday's victory with Roma. Only Trappatoni, with seven Italian titles and one Bundesliga win, heads him in the current honours list.
Capello dictates, decides and commands but rarely consults. Not for nothing, he has been involved in some legendary rows with famous players. Up at Milanello, they still talk about the day he put Dutchman Ruud Gullit off the AC Milan team bus on the eve of an away fixture with Juventus.
Ten days ago, in the dressing room after Roma's 2-2 draw with Napoli, he was at it again, involved in a major bust-up with substitute striker Vincenzo Montella, who had had the temerity to defy him in public with insulting language on the touchline. Such was the ferocity of the clash between the two men that, notwithstanding the title triumph, it is still unclear whether Montella will stay at Roma.
Capped 32 times for Italy during a highly successful career playing mainly with Roma, Juventus and AC Milan, Capello's first protracted experience as coach started in 1991 when he was called in by current Italian Prime Minister and AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi to replace Arrigo Sacchi. Prior to that, he had spent four years out of football, working as a manager in Berlusconi's Fininvest organisation, travelling to watch many of the world's biggest clubs in training and also doubling up as a brilliantly effective TV commentator.
Some critics wondered if he had been too long out of the game. Others argued that it would be impossible to resuscitate an ageing squad. Five years later with one Champions Cup and four league titles under his belt, he had more than answered his critics.
When Capello's not inconsiderable sense of self-esteem got between him and the renewal of his AC Milan contract in 1996 (at terms he deemed insulting), he surprised many by accepting the coach's seat at Real Madrid. There, too, he made no friends by kicking a lot of famous ass and blending a talented squad into a title winning side at the first time of asking.
Back in Italy for one poor season with AC Milan and then for one rest year, Capello took on arguably the biggest challenge of his coaching career two summers ago when he took over at Roma, a club where, unlike Milan, title successes were few and far between.
The rest, of course, is title-winning history. Making the most of what he found at Roma - Totti, Cafu, Candela, Delvecchio, Montella and Tommasi - Capello added important elements in Argentinian defender Walter Samuel, Brazilian midfielder Emerson and, above all, Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta.
The intriguing question now concerns Roma's future. Knowing Capello, it would not surprise us if next season he concentrated much Roma time and attention on the Champions League, even at the expense of defending the league title.
Champions League here they come.
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