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AS Roma are just a few days into the post Francesco Totti era and they now will have to get use to being without a manager with the news that Luciano Spalletti has announced his departure from the club based in the Italian captial after a 16 month stint in charge.
Roma pushed Juventus as hard as they could in Serie A this season but try as they might they were 4 points off the pace come the end of the campaign and that in fairness is with the caveat of the Turin side easing off towards the end as their focus shifts to the Champions League Final this Saturday.
This is not the first time in which Spalletti had been in charge of the club coached Roma from 2005 to 2009, twice winning the Coppa Italia, before he resigned and joined Russian club Zenit St Petersburg. After a spell in Russia he would return in December 2015.
The decision to leave the club was made just hours after Simone Perotta scored a dramatic last minute winner in Francesco Totti’s last game for the club, not only was it the perfect send off but it also meant that Roma would secure the second available automatic qualification spot for the Champions League for next season.
Although it is a runners up place in Serie A, the 58 year old did come in for continued criticism throughout the campaign due to the fact that the evergreen Francesco Totti was only used sparingly and that was no more apparent than having to make do with a place on the bench last Sunday.
It seems as if the Roma fanbase will never forget what Totti has done for the club but by the same token they feel that Spalletti is easily replaceable in the Summer. Perhaps had Spalletti used Totti more they could have really challenged Juventus and he would still be in a job going into next season.
