Sevilla have sacked manager Manolo Jimenez after their 1-1 home draw to bottom placed Xerez in La Liga on Tuesday night.
Sevilla sporting director Ramon Rodriguez ‘Monchi’ described the decision to sack Jimenez as a “painful” one but is hoping the move will motivate the team for the season run-in.
Jimenez’s reign came to an end after Sevilla’s Andalusian rivals Xerez scored a 92-minute equaliser at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to extend Sevilla’s winless run to seven matches.
Sevilla will fall four points behind fourth-placed Real Mallorca in the final Champions League places if the Balearic Island club beat Racing Santander on Wednesday.
Monchi admitting they needed to do something to try and arrest the team’s recent decline.
“The decision has been very painful and has been taken whilst considering a series of circumstances. We are playing for two very important objectives in the future, as much sporting as economic, and we are looking for a reaction,” said Monchi. “It’s time to revive the team.”
According to a statement on the Sevilla website, Nacho Oria and Ramon Orellana – both members of Jimenez’s coaching staff – will take charge of training on Wednesday pending a decision by the board on who the future coach will be.
Monchi said: “We can’t talk of replacements when we haven’t spoken with anybody yet.”
Jimenez had been a long-serving coach of the club’s reserve side, Sevilla Atletico, when he was promoted to take charge of the first team in October 2007 following the resignation of Juande Ramos.
The Seville-born Jimenez, a former Spain international who spent 14 years at the club during his playing days, inherited a side that had won five trophies in two years under Ramos – two UEFA Cups, the Copa del Rey, the European Super Cup and the Spanish Supercopa. Prior to that, Sevilla had picked up only four pieces of major silverware in their history, with the most recent being the Copa del Rey crown they won back in 1948.
In his first season in charge, Jimenez led Sevilla to a fifth-place finish in La Liga, and last year he guided them to third spot and a return to the Champions League. In Europe this season, Sevilla won their group before being knocked out by CSKA Moscow in the last-16 tie
The defeat compounded a a poor run of form this year which has seen them record just four wins in 13 league matches.
Monchi said of Jimenez’s efforts over the last few weeks: “He has done everything possible and impossible and we only have words of appreciation for his work because he couldn’t be more professional.”
