Coach Berizzo to leave Celta Vigo at season-end

Celta Vigo head coach Eduardo Berizzo confirmed on Saturday that he will leave the Spanish football club at the end of the current season.

Berizzo's decision brings to an end a three-year spell which saw him replace Luis Enrique (who will also leave FC Barcelona at the end of the campaign) at Celta and lead them to the verge of this season's Europa League and King's Cup finals, reports Xinhua news agency.

Berizzo's side has built a reputation for playing exciting attacking football and after finishing sixth in the Spanish League last season, they qualified for this season's Europa League, only falling 1-2 to Manchester United at the semi-final stage after a 1-1 draw in Old Trafford.

They also reached the semi-final of the King's Cup this season, losing the semi-final 1-0 to Deportivo Alaves, who will face Barcelona in the Cup final on May 27.

Those two cup runs stretched Celta's squad to the limit and they have lost their last six games, something which had convinced Berizzo to ask for guarantees the squad would be strengthened over the summer in order for him to remain.

With those guarantees not forthcoming, he has now decided to move on and is the favourite to replace Jorge Sampaoli at Sevilla when his fellow countryman takes over the Argentinean national side.

Berizzo's last game as Celta coach will be at home against Real Sociedad on Sunday.

--IANS

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