La Liga: Sevilla Parts Ways with Coach Xavier Pimienta Following Latest Defeat

Synopsis

Sevilla has dismissed head coach Xavier Pimienta following a disappointing 0-1 defeat against Valencia. The club, currently in 13th place in La Liga, parted ways with Pimienta after a series of losses in the league and a Copa del Rey elimination.

Key Takeaways

Sevilla sacked coach Xavier Pimienta after a 0-1 loss.
Pimienta joined the club in June 2024 on a 2.5-year deal.
Sevilla is currently in 13th place in La Liga.
The team lost their last four league matches.
Club thanked Pimienta for his professionalism.

Seville (Spain), April 13 (NationPress) Sevilla has made the decision to sack head coach Xavier Pimienta after suffering a 0-1 defeat against Valencia during the weekend's La Liga matches. The 50-year-old coach had joined the team in June 2024 on a two-and-a-half year contract.

During his time at the helm, Sevilla currently finds itself in 13th place on the points table, having endured a streak of four consecutive losses in the league. Additionally, the team faced elimination in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey, suffering a 4-1 defeat against second division team Almeria. The decision to part ways with him came just a day after the defeat to Valencia on Friday.

“Xavier García Pimienta has been relieved of his duties as manager of Sevilla FC. The club has announced that he will step down after 31 league matches with the team,” stated the club.

“Sevilla FC wishes to extend its gratitude for García Pimienta’s contributions over the last several months, recognizing his professionalism and wishing him success in his future endeavors,” the club’s statement read.

Pimienta began his coaching career as a youth coach at FC Barcelona, joining in 2001 as an assistant for Cadete A, gradually climbing the ranks. From 2006 to 2015, he led various youth teams before taking on the role of assistant coach for Barcelona B under Gerard Lopez in 2015.

In the 2017/18 season, he returned to Juvenil A, clinching the UEFA Youth League title before heading back to FC Barcelona B as head coach.

Pimienta managed Barcelona’s B team for three seasons in Segunda B. After an eighth-place finish in his first full season in 2019/20, they achieved second place and reached the playoffs, only to fall to CE Sabadell. The following season, he guided them to the playoffs again, where they lost in the semifinals to UCAM Murcia CF. After 28 years with FC Barcelona, he parted ways with the club.

He then joined Sevilla after managing UD Las Palmas for two and a half seasons.

Six months later, he made his coaching return with UD Las Palmas. After securing 29 out of 33 points available, Las Palmas ended the season with five straight wins, qualifying for the promotion playoff but losing in the semifinals to CD Tenerife.

The following season, his Las Palmas team finished second, achieving direct promotion to La Liga. In the 2023/24 season, García Pimienta made his debut in the top tier, managing to maintain Las Palmas in the top flight with a sixteenth-place finish.