Roma-Manchester United: Where Do Roma Go From Here?

The Champions League quarter final draw could not have been better scripted for AS Roma. They were to meet the English powerhouse Manchester United in a replay of last year's UCL quarterfinals.

The plot seemed straight out of a Hollywood movie, and a revenge of last year's drubbing was possibly on the cards.

"When I heard we would face Manchester I put my arms in the air and shouted 'Hell, yes, at last!' Finally we have the chance to put things right. This is the perfect opportunity for us to wipe out the memory of last year," said Roma's manager, Luciano Spalletti.

Then came the reality check. Tuesday night came as bitter pill to swallow for the Roma faithful. A two-nil scoreline was hardly anticipated by any of them, and all the hopes of revenge, retribution, and vengeance came crashing down.

It seems now that this draw has really done more bad than good to AS Roma as they look to usurp the Serie A throne from Inter Milan.

Coming to the game itself, Manchester United were hardly their dominant self in the first half, though "that boy" Ronaldo gave them a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute with a bold header—which many would say was against the run of play.

In the second half, Roma came out more positive and started playing as a home side, dictating the pace of play. A couple of tantalizingly close chances went begging, and again, United, so clinical in the final third, snatched the second and maybe the semi final berth.

What this loss would have done to the Roma players' confidence is pretty obvious. They have their chins down and even in the last ten minutes of the match looked jaded and out of options.

Whether this loss results in a loss of belief and form remains to be seen but it will surely test Roma players' resilience and character.

Do they have it in them to come out of it? As top class professionals one expects them to.

As for the manager, he missed the services of Totti, and moreover, this whole strategy of playing no clear-cut number nine seemed to have fallen dead. It was finishing more that anything else that let them down.

With a club as big as Roma, and with high aspirations, this defeat against a team which is proving their nemesis, time and again, will be tough to swallow—especially for the fans.

Will this mean we see a big summer spending and a possible change in management. Only if they fail to win anything this year.

The quarter final is by no means over, but it sure will be a Goliath of a task for Roma to come away with a result out of Old Trafford.

This season might well be a "so near, but yet so far away" story for Roma.