Football management is an unforgiving business.
Sevilla have confirmed they have parted ways with head coach Eduardo Berizzo just a month after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The move also comes just three days before Christmas, with the club sitting fifth in La Liga, two points behind fourth-placed Real Madrid but having played two games more.
Sevilla’s results have not been great recently. They have failed to win in their last four games while recent 5-0 and 4-0 defeats to Real Madrid and Valencia respectively have heightened a sense of unrest at the club. After last week’s scoreless draw with Levante at home, many fans booed the players off the pitch.
Sevilla sack Berizzo.
(And, well, it's hard to know what to say to that really)— Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) December 22, 2017
Coming just three days before Christmas, though, Berizzo’s dismissal highlights what a cold and unforgiving business top-level football management is.
“Sevilla FC reports it has already begun talks to formalise the hiring of the new Coach, who is expected to start training after the Christmas holidays.”
With Sevilla not playing again until January 3rd, a lot of people have pointed out on social media that the announcement could have been delayed until after Christmas.
The club also said the decision was made on the back of recent results and thanked Berizzo for his ‘commitment’ to his post. Former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is one of the favourites for the vacancy.
It’s looking increasingly likely that Eduardo Berizzo *won’t* be Sevilla’s coach once the winter break in Spain is over. Results and performances have been disappointing. The team hasn’t quite clicked in the post-Monchi era. #LaLiga
— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) December 22, 2017
While results have been poor, Sevilla did qualify for the Champions League knock-out phase, where they will face Manchester United for a place in the quarter-final. They also showed plenty of spirit in the group stage, coming back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Liverpool, just days after the players were informed of the 48-year-old’s cancer diagnosis.
