Berizzo quits as coach of Estudiantes
Reuters - Monday 30 May 2011, 19:13
BUENOS AIRES - Eduardo Berizzo quit as
coach of Argentine champions Estudiantes on Monday after going
12 matches without a win.
"After a meeting (with directors) Eduardo Berizzo announced
his time at Estudiantes was over and handed in his resignation,"
the club said on their website.
The team, winners of the Apertura championship in the first
half of the 2010/11 season, are 15th in the Clausura with 19
points from 15 matches. The red and whites are 11 points off the
pace after losing 2-0 at home to Independiente at the weekend.
The 2009 South American champions, with midfield general
Juan Sebastian Veron missing through illness, were also knocked
out of this year's Libertadores Cup in the first knockout round.
Estudiantes look set for a first win in 13 games in all
competitions on Thursday when they play the remaining hour of
the match played 10 days ago at relegation-threatened Huracan.
The red and whites were leading 2-0 when the game was
abandoned in the 32nd minute due to crowd violence.
Former Argentina defender Berizzo, who was right-hand man to
former Chile boss Marcelo Bielsa, began his first job as head
coach in February when Alex Sabella surprisingly resigned a week
before the start of the Clausura.
Estudiantes started well under Berizzo, winning five of
their opening seven Clausura matches, but lost form soon after a
5-0 hiding by Cruzeiro of Brazil in their opening group match of
the Libertadores Cup.
The team have been left rudderless since captain Veron
decided two weeks ago to have surgery on a nagging heel problem
in order to recover in time for next season.
Berizzo is the seventh first division coach to have quit or
been sacked during the Clausura after Miguel Angel Brindisi at
Huracan, Leonardo Madelon at Quilmes, Fernando Gamboa at Colon,
Roberto Sensini at Newell's Old Boys, Ramon Diaz at San Lorenzo
and Angel Cappa at Gimnasia-La Plata.