Serie A's bottom club Pescara sacked manager Massimo Oddo on Tuesday after winning just one match in their return to the top division.
The move follows a 5-3 loss to Torino at the weekend. Pescara are 14 points from safety with 14 league games remaining.
A day earlier, Pescara had announced "unanimous support" for Oddo, but a statement on Tuesday said he had been fired "in the hope that this additional sacrifice can empower this group of players to make sure that there is no repeat of these recent performances.
"The club thanks Massimo Oddo for the work he has done to date."
No immediate replacement was announced, with assistant Luciano Zauri directing training on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old Oddo, who as a player won the 2006 World Cup with Italy, had taken over at the end of last season with the team fighting for promotion from Serie B.
The coaching change is the sixth in Serie A this season, a much lower rate than recent years. Last season, there were 16 changes in the 20-team league.
Tensions have been high in Pescara, with club president Daniele Sebastiani vowing to leave after two of his cars were set on fire, while a group of fans previously interrupted the team's Christmas party.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.