Roma fires manager Rudi Garcia after nearly 3 seasons in charge

Struggling mightily and sliding out of the Serie A title race, Roma fired manager Rudi Garcia on Wednesday, a bitter end to what looked like a promising marriage only two years ago.

Garcia leaves the club in disarray, having won just once in 10 matches in all competitions. Roma is currently fifth in the Italian standings, seven points adrift of leader Napoli.

"On behalf of myself and everyone at AS Roma, I'd like to thank Rudi Garcia for all of his hard work since joining the club. We've all enjoyed some great moments during his time at Roma but we believe that this is the right time for a change," club president Jim Pallotta said in a statement.

Luciano Spalletti, who managed Roma between 2005 and 2009 and won two Coppa Italia titles during his reign, is reportedly poised to retake the bench. Spalletti landed in Miami on Tuesday evening to meet with Pallotta and agree to terms on a contract.

Related: Roma manager Rudi Garcia unconcerned about job security

The 2013-14 campaign - Garcia's first season in charge - had brought so much hope. Roma registered a club-record 85 points and qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2011. It would have won the Scudetto had it not been for Juventus' own record-breaking 102-point finish.

Garcia's second term was more turbulent. He was sent off after miming a violin in a 3-2 loss to Juventus, and accused the officials of gifting the defending champion two penalties. He then proclaimed that his side would win its first Scudetto since 2001.

His players couldn't deliver on that promise. Roma suffered a humiliating 7-1 loss to Bayern Munich at home, struggled to posts results other than draws, and eventually finished behind Juventus in Serie A once again.

A familiar look has developed this season. Roma has lacked goals on a consistent basis, despite making key signings in the form of Mohamed Salah, Edin Dzeko, and Iago Falque, and endured a 6-1 loss to Barcelona at the Camp Nou in November.

Injuries have robbed Garcia of some of his first choices, but fans in Roma have stayed away from the stadium out of protest. They left crates of carrots at the club's training ground in December and called the players rabbits for their poor on-field efforts.

Defeat to second-tier Spezia in the Coppa Italia put Garcia in real danger. But the 1-1 draw with AC Milan on the weekend, in which Roma blew a lead after a dominant first-half performance, reportedly infuriated Pallotta and prompted the change.

Garcia has no silverware to show for his time at Roma, and only managed two Champions League wins in 12 matches as manager.