(Football news) Sevilla have sacked head coach Jorge Sampaoli following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Getafe which left them only two points clear of the bottom three with 12 games to play in the La Liga. Seviila have appointed the former Eibar and Alaves coach Jose Luis Mendilibar as the decision comes just two weeks after they were thrashed 6-1 by Atletico Madrid. The Spanish side have a two-week window until their next league game which is away at fellow strugglers Cadiz.

Sampaoli, who recently turned 63, is going to be the second manager for Sevilla after they fired Julen Lopetegui in October, as he was sacked following a very disappointing start to the campaign. Sampaoli returned for a second spell as Sevilla coach in October, having previously managed them to a fourth-place finish in 2017-18 before he left to take up the Argentina job.

This season Sampaoli has won 13 out of his 31 matches in charge as he helped Sevilla reach the Europa League quarter finals, where they will meet pre tournament favourites Manchester United, but their league form didn’t improve very much. Sampaoli only managed wins over Getafe, Cadiz, Elche and Mallorca at the start of the calendar year as it looked like a signal of an upturn in fortunes, but they have won just one of their last five league games since, their only win came up against second-bottom Almeria.

They are currently 14th in LaLiga but the main thing is that they are just two points ahead of Valencia and Almeria, who occupy 18th and 19th-place in the La Liga standings. Sevilla over the last 5 years have finished in the top four in Spain as they qualified for the Champions League in the process. Seviilla have not ended a season outside the top 10 since they returned to the top flight in 2001.

New Sevilla boss Mendilibar has signed a short term contract until the end of the season. Mendilibar coached Alaves in 12 matches last season as he spent a large part of his coaching career with Eibar, first from 2004-05 and then taking charge of them from 2015 to 2021. He also had long stints with Valladolid and Osasuna and a brief spell with Athletic Bilbao, making him one of the most experienced managers in the league. The former Alaves manager was set to take charge of the team’s training session on Tuesday as Sevilla’s face Cadiz on April 1, after the international break

“We have taken the decision to terminate Sampaoli’s contract following the loss to Getafe which leaves us on the brink of the relegation zone,” Sevilla said in a statement. “The fact that the team has not managed to move clear of the bottom of the table since he took over as coach, in addition to the team’s performances in the last few games, have led to this decision.”

Following the announcement, Sampaoli posted a message on his social media account: “I leave with my head held high because of the attitude [shown] at all times, because we are in the quarterfinals of the Europa League and because we put a lot of effort into taking this story forward.

“Football doesn’t always give back the insomnia we dedicate to it. But I have no doubt that it was worth offering and putting my heart into this shield.”

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