Valencia sack coach Celades following back-to-back defeats
SHOWS:
VALENCIA, SPAIN (FILE - JANUARY 25, 2020) (LA LIGA/MEDIAPRO - NO RESALE)
1. THEN-VALENCIA COACH ALBERT CELADES ARRIVING FOR POST MATCH NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER BEATING BARCELONA 2-0 IN A LA LIGA MATCH
VALENCIA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 14, 2020) (LA LIGA HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL)
2. CELADES GIVING INSTRUCTIONS AT TRAINING
VALENCIA, SPAIN (FILE - MAY 9, 2020) (LA LIGA HANDOUT - ACCESS ALL)
3. CELADES STICKING POLE INTO GROUND FOR TRAINING SESSION
VALENCIA, SPAIN (FILE - JANUARY 25, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)
4. STILL PHOTO SHOWING CELADES BEFORE HOME LA LIGA MATCH AGAINST BARCELONA WHICH THEY WON 2-0
VALENCIA, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 10, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)
5. STILL PHOTO SHOWING CELADES DURING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16, SECOND LEG HOME MATCH AGAINST ATALANTA WHICH HIS SIDE LOST 4-3 ON THE NIGHT AND 8-4 ON AGGREGATE
VALENCIA, SPAIN (FILE - OCTOBER 1, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)
6. STILL PHOTO SHOWING CELADES AT NEWS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP H HOME MATCH AGAINST AJAX WHICH HIS SIDE LOST 3-0
7. STILL PHOTO SHOWING CELADES SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE WITH VALENCIA BADGE IN BACKGROUND
VALENCIA, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 9, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
8. ENTRANCE TO VALENCIA CF HEADQUARTERS
9. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF VALENCIA'S ESTADIO MESTALLA
10. VALENCIA LOGO ON GATES
STORY: Valencia have sacked coach Albert Celades and appointed sporting director Voro until the end of the season, the La Liga club said in a statement on Monday (June 29).
The team have picked up only four points in five matches since the season re-started after the COVID-19 hiatus, slipping way behind in contention for Champions League qualification.
Back-to-back defeats against Eibar and Villarreal respectively left them eighth in the standings on 46 points, eight behind fourth-placed Sevilla with six games remaining.
Valencia appointed Celades last September after taking the surprising decision to part ways with Marcelino, who had led the club to successive top-four finishes and ended an 11-year wait for a major trophy by guiding them to Copa del Rey success.
Celades had never previously been a first team coach at club level, building his reputation as Spain's under-21 coach and as an assistant to Julen Lopetegui with the Spain side and Real Madrid.
He made a difficult start in losing his first game in charge 5-2 to Barcelona but improved his reputation by taking the team into the last 16 of the Champions League, where they were eventually knocked out by Atalanta 8-4 on aggregate.