The board of directors of Sevilla dismissed José Luis Mendilibar this Sunday. The existing doubts regarding the performance of the Basque coach were expressed in a meeting on Sunday after the draw against Rayo Vallecano. In it, the leaders decided to dispense with the coach with Sevilla in 14th position and with eight points obtained out of the 24 at stake. In the Champions League, the Andalusian team has drawn the two matches played against Lens (1-1) and PSV (2-2), placing third. Mendilibar was renewed for one season at the conclusion of last season after winning the Europa League, an unexpected success in a rather turbulent season.
Sevilla rescued a point against Rayo in the last play of the game with a goal from En-Nesyri, but the team offered very bad feelings. The Sevilla leaders understand that the Basque is not getting adequate performance from a squad that has been greatly improved according to their criteria. They also did not understand Mendilibar’s decisions, which left heavyweights like Sergio Ramos, Navas, Rakitic and Ocampos on the bench. Furthermore, he replaced Fernando in the 37th minute and the Brazilian, one of the leaders of the locker room, publicly reproached him for the substitution. “The team doesn’t play anything,” is the phrase that is heard most in the noble area of Sánchez Pizjuán. Nor is the coach forgiven for some statements that the managers did not like at all. “Sevilla is not obliged to win,” he stated in the preview of the duel against Almería. Mendilibar also highlighted after the defeat against Alavés (4-3) that his players had not run enough.
Mendilibar arrived at Sevilla last March and of their first 12 games the Andalusian team won eight, drew three and only lost one. However, of their last 16 games, Sevilla has only won two, with eight draws and six losses. Mendilibar’s dismissal comes a year after that of Julen Lopetegui. This year, Sevilla has already had three coaches with Lopetegui, Jorge Sampaoli and Mendilibar. The Andalusian team has not found stability on the bench since the departure of Lopetegui, who was on the bench from 2019 to 2022.
Sevilla has already activated the protocol to hire a new coach, a mission of the sports director, Víctor Orta. The idea is to hire a prestigious coach, capable of withstanding the pressure of a club like Sevilla, something that surpassed Mendilibar, who was hired to resolve a critical situation. The figure of the coach has to be strong in an entity in which Monchi, who appeared as Sevilla’s great umbrella, is no longer there.
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