Osasuna sack coach Alessio Lisci after late-season collapse

Osasuna sack coach Alessio Lisci after late-season collapse

Osasuna have decided to part ways with head coach Alessio Lisci after just one season in charge at El Sadar, following a dramatic end to their La Liga campaign that saw the club dragged into a relegation fight.

Lisci arrived with strong expectations after an impressive spell over two years at Mirandes, but he was unable to find consistent form in Pamplona. 

While Osasuna showed flashes of promise during the season, their performances never fully settled, and results became increasingly unstable as the campaign progressed.

With five matches remaining, Osasuna still looked capable of pushing for European qualification. However, everything changed in the final weeks as the team suffered five straight defeats, leaving them anxiously checking other results on the last day to confirm their survival in La Liga.

In an official statement released on Monday evening, just 48 hours after safety was secured, the club thanked Lisci for his work and his professionalism with supporters. Sporting director Braulio Vazquez now faces the task of appointing a new manager, with Lisci becoming the first dismissal under his leadership, following the departures of Jagoba Arrasate and Vicente Moreno at the end of their contracts.

Across 42 matches in all competitions, Osasuna recorded 14 wins, nine draws and 19 defeats, scoring 63 goals and conceding 61. In La Liga, they finished 17th with 42 points, staying up only on head-to-head records.

Lisci had previously admitted that his side were not expecting to be involved in a relegation battle so late in the season, highlighting how quickly their campaign unravelled.

Despite strong contributions from attackers Ante Budimir and Victor Munoz, Osasuna's defensive consistency from previous years was missing, and their inability to control key moments ultimately cost Lisci his job.

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