It may not have been a 7-1 thumping like at the Old Trafford and it may still keep their chances alive for the second leg, but Tuesday’s Arsenal vs. Roma confirmed one thing for Luciano Spalletti: winning in England is still taboo.

In truth, Giallorossi supporters can find themselves lucky their team leaves the Emirates with only a 1-goal deficit: based on the 90 minutes of action yesterday, the bill to pay could have been far more expensive (the misses of Bendtner and Eboué come to mind). But all excuses for their poor performance aside (the important absences of Juan and Vucinic, coupled with the OMG moments of Simone Loria), the Roma manager will have to do a hell of a lot better at the Olimpico if he hopes continuing his team’s European adventure.

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