AS Roma Sack Ivan Juric as the Club Seeks Fourth Manager in Just 8 Months

After yet another disappointing loss, AS Roma have officially parted ways with Croatian head coach Ivan Juric. The 49-year-old had taken over the reins in September following the decision to dismiss club legend Daniele De Rossi. Juric’s departure marks Roma's third coaching change in just eight months.

At the time of Juric’s dismissal, Roma sat a disappointing 12th in the Serie A standings, managing only one win in their last five games. That’s already more losses than they suffered across their previous 13 league matches, where they picked up four wins, six draws, and three defeats. Since matchday eight, Roma’s three points make them only marginally better than Como, who earned just one over the same period. Juric’s reign has been marked by an alarming slide, with the Giallorossi gathering only 10 points since his arrival. This poor run has led to Roma’s worst Serie A start since 2004-05.  

And the struggles don’t stop at the domestic level; Europe has been equally grim. With four Europa League games in the books, Roma have only scraped together one win and two draws, putting them an embarrassing 20th on the Europa League standings. For a club that prides itself on both its history and ambition, this season’s setbacks, both in Italy and on the continental stage, have painted a stark picture of how much ground they need to regain. So, Roma’s 3-2 loss away at Bologna was the last straw, as just hours after the defeat Roma announced the sacking of Juric via a club statement.  

The official club statement read, “We would like to thank Ivan Juric for his hard work these past weeks," Roma said in a statement. He handled a difficult environment with the utmost professionalism, and for that we are grateful ... The search for a new head coach has already begun and an announcement will be made in the coming days." Now, Roma’s hierarchy, led by US-based Friedkin Group, must search for their fourth in the last eight months. Managers like Jose Mourinho, Di Rossi and Juric have already tried and failed to get Roma back into the Champions League. So, which manager will be the latest to try their luck in Rome? 

If some media outlets are to be believed, then Roma have already zeroed in on former Manchester City, Inter Milan and Lazio manager Roberto Mancini. The 59-year-old has had a storied managerial career, and his most recent major achievement came in 2021 when he led Italy to the Euro 2020 title. However, things took a turn when Italy missed out on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, leading Mancini to step down from his role as Italy’s head coach. Recently, he took on a stint as the head coach of Saudi Arabia’s national team, but he left that position earlier this month. Now, he is locked in negotiations with Roma to become their new manager, according to reports in Italy.