Related Articles
Getafe, Spain – Getafe, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) – Getafe announced on Monday that the club has fired manager Luis Garcia and replaced him with former Romania international Cosmin Contra.
The move doesn’t come as a complete surprise following Getafe’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of last-place Real Betis over the weekend, which leaves the club just one point above the relegation places.
Getafe’s last win came Nov. 29 against Levante, and the team’s winless streak now sits at 12 games ahead of Friday’s home match with Granada.
Contra was expected to take charge of the club at the end of the current season, but with Getafe’s struggles over the past few months, fears of relegation have forced the move to come earlier than expected.
The 38-year-old Contra spent five years at Getafe as a player from 2005-2010, and he most recently served as coach of Romanian club Petrolul Ploiesti.
Garcia helped Getafe finish 11th and 10th respectively in La Liga in his first two seasons in charge, but his team’s recent woes have prevented him from completing his third campaign.
“This is the worst run of games in my time as president,” said Getafe president Angel Torres when explaining his reasons for firing Garcia. “The team is not playing at all. The fans are right to be angry. The players have lost confidence in the coach. The team is broken, we do not defend, we attack badly, nobody likes the system.”