Pablo Machín replaces David Gallego as Espanyol boss after wretched league run

Espanyol have fired David Gallego as their manager and have replaced him with former Girona and Sevilla coach, Pablo Machín.

A poor run of league results with just four goals scored leaves the club in the relegation zone with just five points heading into the international break.

Gallego took over the first team duties after a successful spell as the manager of Espanyol B. His B team missed out on the playoffs in their Segunda B group on the last day of the season last campaign.

The former coach’s first task in Cornellà-El Prat was qualifying the Pericos to the group stage of the Europa League, which he achieved with a near-perfect record, winning all matches save for one, when the 2-2 draw perfectly sufficed for the Catalan club. 

However, league form for the blue-and-whites has been abysmal so far this campaign, with just one win in eight matches and just one goal scored at home, which was actually an own goal from Real Sociedad’s Zaldúa in a 1-3 loss.

The 2-0 reverse to Mallorca this weekend, a result which saw the islanders overtake Espanyol in the table, proved the last straw for the club directors, who relieved Gallego of his duties in spite of the recent 0-2 win away to CSKA Moscow in the group stage of the Europa League. 

New Pablo Machín era

New boss Pablo Machín comes with a good reputation. He guided Girona to their first-ever promotion to the top division of Spanish football, and kept them in the division on the first time of asking. 

His dynamic 3-5-2 system caught many teams by surprise, leading to numerous memorable results in their first season in La Liga, such as a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid. 

The 44-year-old Soria native played for his local side, Numancia, for the entirety of his career.