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Watford has appointed Xisco Muñoz as its new coach following the dismissal of Vladimir Ivic.
The 40-year-old Spaniard has stepped down from his post at the top-flight Georgian Dinamo Tbilisi, becoming Watford’s fifth manager in just over a year.
Former boss Ivic was fired on Saturday after a 2-0 loss at Huddersfield in the Championship, with the Hornets fifth in the table, four points behind second-ranked Bournemouth.
Vladimir Ivic was fired by Watford after being in charge of just 20 league games – winning nine, drawing seven and losing four.
Xisco is a former Valencia winger who won La Liga and the UEFA Cup with Rafa Benítez and shares the same agent as former Watford coach Javi Gracia.
During his playing career he also represented Real Betis, Tenerife, Recreativo, Levante and Dinamo Tbilisi, before becoming a coach at the age of 36.
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Highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Huddersfield Town and Watford
Xisco recently guided Dinamo Tbilisi to their second title in a row and is now moving to Vicarage Road in hopes of bringing Watford back to the Premier League after relegation last season.
His first game in charge of Watford is against promotional rivals and championship leaders Norwich – live Soccer Sky Sports on Boxing Day, and on January 9 they face Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup.
Saturday December 26 7:00 p.m.
Starts at 7:45 pm
Watford backs Deeney after Ivic’s claim about ‘discipline issues’
Watford have publicly endorsed captain Troy Deeney following claims by former coach Vladimir Ivic that the forward had “discipline problems”.
Deeney was left on the bench for Ivic’s last game in charge, a 2-0 loss to Huddersfield, before the Serb’s dismissal on Saturday.
Troy Deeney was accused of having ‘discipline problems’ by former Watford boss Vladimir Ivic
Despite scoring in each of the Hornets’ three previous games, Deeney remained an unused substitute against Huddersfield, which Ivic blamed on off-field problems.
When asked about his decision not to play with his captain, Ivic said: “He didn’t start because he played a lot of full games recently.
“I think he wasn’t ready to play from the beginning, but the reason he couldn’t get in was a discipline problem.”
In a statement posted to the club’s Twitter on Sunday, Watford Chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury said: “No one at the club has any doubts about Troy Deeney’s high level of professionalism in his work.
“Troy is quick to raise his hands when his conduct does not meet the required standard, but we are satisfied that was not the case.”
“There will be no hangover from this. We must move on and Troy, as the club’s captain, will play an important role in achieving our goals this season.”
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