La Liga: Relegation-threatened Espanyol sack manager Quique Sanchez Flores following miserable run of form

Madrid: La Liga strugglers Espanyol have sacked coach Quique Sanchez Flores and their sporting director Jordi Lardin following a miserable run of form, the club announced on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_4440451” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Quique Sanchez Flores. Reuters[/caption] “The club have taken this decision because of the performances of the first team and with the clear desire to go into the remaining games of this season and the preparation of the 2018-19 season in the best conditions,” read a club statement. Sanchez Flores, 53, became Espanyol coach in June 2016, shortly after the Barcelona outfit were taken over by Chinese investors. He led the Catalans to eighth place in La Liga last season, as high as they have finished in more than a decade. However, with five games of this season remaining they lie 16th, still not completely safe from the threat of relegation. A 1-0 home defeat against Eibar on Wednesday, watched by a crowd of less than 12,000, proved the final straw. Espanyol have failed to win or even score a goal in their last five outings. Sanchez Flores had previously managed in England with Watford, and reportedly rejected a return to the Premier League earlier this season with Stoke City. Lardin, 44, who played for Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Spain, became sporting director in late 2016. Reserve team coach David Gallego has been placed in interim charge, with Espanyol travelling to Catalan rivals Girona this weekend.