Official: Sporting Gijon sack Baraja and replace him with Lopez
The second division side have picked up eight points in their last 11 games
Sporting Gijon have sacked coach Ruben Baraja after Saturday's 2-1 loss to rivals Real Oviedo extended their bad run of form.
B team coach Jose Alberto Lopez has been chosen as Baraja's replacement, the club confirmed in a statement on Sunday.
Lopez will be presented on Monday and will then take charge of his first training session in preparation for Friday's game against Granada.
The Sporting B boss is a fans' favourite, as demonstrated by the chanting of his name during the first team's last two matches at El Molinón.
ℹ️ COMUNICADO OFICIAL |
— Real Sporting (@RealSporting) 18 de noviembre de 2018
José Alberto López, nuevo entrenador del Sporting.
Mañana se pondrá al frente del primer equipo rojiblanco.https://t.co/xSpNJALVr0
ℹ️ COMUNICADO OFICIAL |
— Real Sporting (@RealSporting) 18 de noviembre de 2018
Baraja cesa como entrenador del Sporting.
El club rojiblanco le agradece su labor tanto a él como su cuerpo técnico, a la vez que les desea lo mejor para su futuro.https://t.co/w3c5ZWQI8j
Many of the players now in the first team played under Lopez for the reseves last season.
Lopez will take charge of his final game with the B team on Sunday, against Eibar's reserves, before taking on the challenge moving Sporting back up the table.
They've picked up just eight points from their last 11 games and lie 14th in the table with 15 points in total -- two above the drop zone.
Baraja took charge of Sporting last December, winning 20 of his 43 games in charge, drawing nine and losing 14.
