Luis Garcia Plaza has been sacked as Villarreal coach after less than two months in charge of the relegation-threatened LaLiga club.

The 46-year-old was appointed Javi Calleja's successor on December 10 and was at the helm for nine matches across all competitions.

However, his solitary victory was a 2-0 Europa League triumph over Spartak Moscow in his opening game, with Villarreal are without a win in LaLiga since November 25.

Garcia Plaza leaves the club 19th in the table and five points from safety after Rayo Vallecano managed a surprise 1-0 win at Deportivo Alaves on Monday.