La Liga: Sevilla sack head coach Xavier Pimienta after another defeat

Seville (Spain), April 13 (IANS) Sevilla have sacked head coach Xavier Pimienta after their 0-1 loss against Valencia in the weekend's matches in La Liga. The 50-year-old had joined the club in June 2024, on a two-and-a-half year contract.

Under his tenure, Sevilla are currently sitting in 13th place in the point’s table, after having lost their previous four games in the league and were eliminated in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey with a 4-1 defeat against second division side Almeria. The axe fell for him a day after their loss to Valencia on Friday.

"Xavier García Pimienta has been dismissed from his position as Sevilla FC manager. The club has informed the Blanquirrojos that he will step down from his position as manager of the Nervion team after 31 league matches.

"Sevilla FC wishes to express its gratitude for García Pimienta's work over the past few months, as well as his professionalism, and wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavour,” read the statement by the club.

Pimienta made his first steps into management as a youth coach at FC Barcelona. He joined in 2001 as an assistant for Cadete A, before gradually working his way up. From 2006 to 2015, he served as the head coach of various youth teams until he joined Barcelona B as an assistant to Gerard Lopez in 2015.

For the 2017/18 season, he returned to Juvenil A, where he won the UEFA Youth League title before making a return to FC Barcelona B, this time as head coach.

Pimienta managed Barcelona's B team for the following three seasons in Segunda B. After finishing eighth in his first full season in 2019/20, they finished second and reached the playoffs but lost to CE Sabadell. The season after he once again guided them to the playoffs, where they lost in the semifinal to UCAM Murcia CF. At the end of that season, following 28 years with FC Barcelona, he parted ways with the club.

He arrived in Sevilla after managing UD Las Palmas for two and a half seasons.

He made his coaching return six months later when he was appointed by UD Las Palmas. After securing 29 out of 33 points available and ending the season with five consecutive wins, Las Palmas qualified for the promotion playoff but lost in the semifinals to CD Tenerife.

The season after his Las Palmas side finished second, securing direct promotion to La Liga. In the 2023/24 season, García Pimienta made his debut in the top tier, managing to keep Las Palmas in the top flight with a sixteenth-placed finish.

--IANS

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