Javier Cabello will take temporary charge and could oversee Wednesday’s trip to Deportivo la Coruna. Zubeldia failed to muster a point or even a solitary goal in his brief stint in charge with defeats to Leganes, Barcelona and Celta Vigo also sealing his fate.
Alaves finished ninth in an impressive first campaign back in the top flight and reached the Copa del Rey final last season under Mauricio Pellegrino. However, Pellegrino departed for Southampton and a host of key players also returned to their parent clubs after successful loan spells, including Real Madrid duo Theo Hernandez and Marcos Llorente.
So far a series of high-profile recruits such as former Barcelona pair Bojan Krkic and Munir El Haddadi and Enzo Zidane, son of Real boss Zinedine Zidane, have failed to fire in the opening weeks of the season. A comfortable win for Villarreal at Mendizorroza thanks to a double for Cedric Bakambu either side of Carlos Bacca’s strike moved the Yellow Submarine up to seventh.
Sevilla’s impressive start to the season also continued with victory on the road at Girona to move up to second. Luis Muriel’s first goal for the club since completing a 20mn euro move from Sampdoria was enough for a 1-0 win.
On Saturday, Antoine Griezmann ensured Malaga didn’t spoil Atletico Madrid’s moving in party at their new 68,000 Wanda Metropolitano stadium with the only goal in a 1-0 win.
The French international, restored to the side after a two-game La Liga ban, swept home Angel Correa’s cross on the hour mark to move Atletico up to third in the table. Atletico remain four points adrift of Barcelona, though, as Paulinho scored his first Barca goal six minutes from time to continue their 100% record in a 2-1 win at Getafe.
“I’m delighted to score the first goal in this magnificent stadium and hopefully it is the first of many,” Griezmann said. “For me it is the best stadium I have played in, and I don’t just say that because it is my club.”
Atletico boss Diego Simeone had called on fans to recreate the intimidating atmosphere of the Vicente Calderon by turning their new home into a “pressure cooker.” The noise matched the pre-match pomp as Spain’s royal air force took part in a flyover, whilst the match ball was delivered by paragliders. Barca were also made to struggle as they had to come from behind at Getafe to open up a seven-point lead over Real Madrid, who were playing Real Sociedad late last night.
Spanish Liga results
Alaves 0 Villarreal 3 (Bakambu 32, 62, Bacca 52); Girona 0 Sevilla 1 (Muriel 69)
Played Saturday: Levante 1 (Bardhi 41) Valencia 1 (Rodrigo 31); Getafe 1 (Shibasaki 39) Barcelona 2 (Denis Suarez 62, Paulinho 84); Real Betis 2 (Joaquin 14, 76) Deportivo la Coruna 1 (Cartabia 23); Atletico Madrid 1 (Griezmann 61) Malaga 0; Eibar 1 (Gálvez 53) Leganes 0