By Greg Lea.

2012/13 was a season to forget for supporters of AS Roma.

Ultra-attacking boss Zdenek Zeman was unsurprisingly sacked in February with the capital club languishing in ninth place, closer to the relegation zone than Juventus at the top of the table. Caretaker manager Aurelio Andreazzoli then steadied the ship and secured a top-six finish, but a 1-0 defeat to bitter rivals Lazio in the final of the Coppa Italia meant the campaign ended in the worst manner possible.

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It is fair to say that most onlookers were therefore not predicting much from the Giallorossi in 2013/14. New coach Rudi Garcia quickly settled into his surroundings at the Stadio Olimpico, however, with Roma winning their first 10 games to sit top of the pile with over a quarter of the season gone. Five draws then followed in their next seven outings, but Roma had undoubtedly exceeded all pre-Christmas expectations.

Their first encounter after the winter break was a 3-0 defeat to fellow contenders Juventus, but Roma then went unbeaten in their next seven games to stay in touch at the top. A 1-0 loss at Napoli did not throw them off course, either: Garcia's charges proceeded to take 27 points from the next 27 on offer, a superb return that demonstrated their title credentials.

Despite showing such consistency throughout the year, Roma still found themselves eight points behind Juventus with three games left to play. Indeed, the only reason Garcia did not get his hands on the Scudetto in May 2014 was because of Juve's brilliance: Antonio Conte's side broke the all-time Serie A points record with 102 as they claimed the championship for a third successive season.

All in all, Roma could look back on 2013/14 with pride, with their fans hoping that the experience of challenging at the top would see the Giallorossi scoop the prize the following year. Unfortunately, though, that did not materialise, with Juventus again finishing 18 points clear at the summit. There were some positives to take once more, but the pressure on Garcia to deliver was increasing.

When Juventus lost key men Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo last summer and won only one of their opening six games, it was widely assumed that Roma would take advantage and finally win their first Scudetto since 2001. Instead, at the midway point of the season, Garcia finds his side seven points adrift of first place and his job on the line; at the time of writing the Frenchman remains in charge, but many reports have suggested he is likely to be dismissed in the coming days.

Despite returning Roma to the Champions League, Garcia has no real right to complain if he is dispensed of this week. The three-time Italian champions have gone backwards since his debut season in 2013/14 despite spending close to €200m on new additions during the former Lille boss' time in charge.

Saturday's 1-1 draw against Milan was another poor performance that resulted in the Roma players being booed off by the home crowd at the final whistle. The hosts started well, taking the lead through Antonio Rudiger and controlling the opening stages, but Milan were ultimately unfortunate to leave with just a point after creating the better chances in the final 70 minutes or so.

It is now just one win in seven Serie A games for Roma, who have gone from title favourites to slipping out of the Champions League places in the space of a few short months. The Giallorossi really should be doing much better, and Garcia could pay for his side's poor form with his job.