Valencia’s title echoes as Albelda and Curro Torres meet in Villarreal B v Real Murcia | OneFootball

Sunday’s Villarreal B v Real Murcia reunites Valencia’s title-winning past, as David Albelda and Curro Torres meet as head coaches. According to AS, nostalgia comes with genuine stakes in the promotion picture.

Both were central to Valencia under Rafa Benítez then Ranieri, a side that won two Ligas, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Benítez reunited them in 2001-02, recalling Torres from Tenerife, and both later went to the 2002 World Cup.

They shared seven seasons, including Torres’s loan year at Murcia when Valencia also lifted the Copa del Rey. Albelda became captain and added another Copa before retiring in 12-13, while injuries forced Torres to stop in 09-10 with Nàstic.

Torres moved into coaching, keeping Mestalla up and reaching the play-offs, then endured short spells at Lorca, Córdoba, Lugo and Cultural Leonesa. Three trophy-winning years at Levadia followed. He now returns to Murcia after Adrián Colunga’s exit, chasing a difficult shot at Segunda.

Albelda’s path ran via Atzeneta and Villarreal C, and he now has Villarreal B seventh, a point off the play-offs with a game in hand. He can widen a five-point gap to a direct rival, while Torres needs a debut win to re-energise Murcia. Albelda considers Murcia’s squad powerful and built for promotion, expects Torres’s influence to show quickly, and Torres highlights Villarreal’s capacity to keep the ball and to transition. Both say the priority is the three points, with any catch-up left until after full time.

Source: AS