Roma's hot mess: Garcia as good as fired, Conte trending. Lippi 'past it', fans attack team bus
Being a Roma fan isn't the biggest of laughs at the moment. For those who haven't been following, here's a brief summary of the Giallorossi's current plight:
-haven't won a game since November 8th (2-0 in Derby against Lazio);
-Senad Lulic knocked Mohamed Salah out for over a month;
-humiliated in Champions League by Barcelona, 6-1;
-lost to 2-0 to Atalanta in dreadful defensive performance;
-ultras emulated 8-1 Manchester fiasco by bringing carrots to the Trigoria training ground, along with a banner that ready: "Bon Appetit, Bunnies!";
-same ultras are still refusing to support the team and deserting the Curva Sud;
-allowed Torino to grab last-gasp equaliser at the Olimpico;
-knocked out of Coppa Italia on penalties by Carpi and former striker/what-the-heck-is-he-still-doing-here-sub Marco Borriello. This prompts club to send players on punishment ritiro;
-drew Real Madrid in Round of 16. Have competition's worst defence, by a country mile;
-still 5th in Serie A, but are dropping off and have been overtaken by Juventus, whom Rajda Nainggolan had mercilessly trolled after 2-1 win on Matchday 2. Who is saying "Ooops" now?;
On top of that, fans are decidedly unhappy with Rudi Garcia, who is being accused of not having made much progress since he first took over two seasons ago.
According to La Repubblica, the former Lille manager is as good as gone after Roma play Genoa to cap off the 2015 calendar year. Owner James Pallotta has reportedly made the call, and is now looking for someone to take care of the team at till the end of the season. The two hottest names are former manager Luciano Spalletti (who took the team to second place twice in Serie A during his first spell) and Marcelo Bielsa.
Marcello Lippi is not on the list, despite our earlier reports. The Repubblica claims that the feeling at Trigoria is that Lippi is 'past it'. If only someone had made that call in 2009...
Walter Sabatini and Mauro Baldissoni are in hot water, too.
So who are Roma looking to recruit in the long term? Look not further than Antonio Conte, at least if you like what the Corriere dello Sport is writing in today's edition. The Roman paper believes the former four-time Serie A champion with Juventus will be asked to join on a €4-million-a-year deal, plus bonuses. Conte is also in Chelsea's sights, as an alternative to Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone once Hiddink leaves.
Oh, and remember those rowdy fans we were talking about? Some of them showed up to Roma's Christmas dinner last night, pelting the team bus with eggs and even kicking it. Fabulous work helping out the team there!
