Sevilla sacks manager and appoints successor
La Liga outfit Sevilla has reacted to their disappointing start to the season by sacking coach Antonio Alvarez. The club moved swiftly to appoint a successor, naming Gregorio Manzano as their new manager.
The news, as confirmed on Sevilla’s official website, comes in at the wake of a 2-0 away defeat at the hands of Hercules. Alvarez had been in charge of Sevilla for just six months before his dismissal, which has come after a dismal run of results.
They were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League at the play-off stage after a 5-3 aggregate defeat to Portuguese outfit Braga. Sevilla also lost their opening UEFA Europa League group stage match at home against Paris Saint-Germain.
They have also won just two of their five opening La Liga games — claiming victories over Levante and Malaga, but drawing with Deportivo de La Coruna and Racing Santander and losing to Hercules— putting them five points behind pace-setters Valencia at an
early stage of the season. This point standing is what led to Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido wielding his axe and dispensing with the services of Alvarez.
The disappointing results come on the back of a Copa del Rey success last season, as well as a fourth-place finish in the Primera Division.
Manzano was available to fill the void left by Alvarez in swift manner, as he was not associated with any club after leaving Mallorca in the summer. The 54-year-old impressed last season when he almost led the Balearic Island outfit to a Champions League
qualification place ahead of Sevilla. But with Mallorca struggling with their finances, he left the club due to mutual consent over the summer.
He is set to take charge of his first training session at his new club on Monday evening.
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