Gone are the days when Valencia stunned Europe by reaching the 2000 and 2001 UEFA Champions League finals. But veteran David Albelda wants them back again!
The Spaniard was a young player in his early 20s back then. As he spoke to UEFA.com, David Albelda recalled sweet memories:
“These were the first years of a very good Valencia side. It was a pleasure to be involved. We were humbled, and we had a good balance of young and old players. For us, the first final (2000) was something very new.
“At that time, I was young. I just couldn’t believe what had happened. I was carried away by the euphoria of it all. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
Now as 33-year-old player, David Albelda could enjoy another fantastic season in the Champions League with Valencia. Although talisman David Villa is no more in the squad having moved to Barcelona, Los Che still dare to dream big.
Valencia, who have been struggling a lot since the past few years – economically like financially – have put a lot of emphasis on the Champions League this season. They finished third last season as they qualified for the group stages of the competition and their not willing to burn all their efforts as David Albelda explained:
“To play in the Champions League is the pinnacle of your career. We will try to do better this season. I know everyone at the club is pulling in the same direction.”
However, Valencia face an early tough task; reaching the knockout stages of the tournament will be a remarkable achievement since Rangers and Manchester United have both been drawn alongside Los Che in Group C. Vying for a top two finish will certainly not be easy but David Albelda is hopeful of a good European season as he analyzed Valencia’s section ahead of match-day one:
“Manchester United are the favorites [in Group C]. Even if they didn’t sign many new players [during the transfer window], they have a very solid team. As for Rangers, it’s never easy to play in Scotland, but we believe that we’re stronger than them. However, we’ll have to prove that on the pitch.”
First of all though, Valencia will need to pass Tuesday’s test against Turkey’s Bursaspor. As David Albelda prefers not to take them lightly, he declared:
“Bursaspor should be very difficult opponents; they’ve been getting some great results lately. Also, they top the Turkish table ahead of teams like Fernabahce, Besiktas, and Galatasaray. But, we know that if we qualify, then we’ll continue to play against very prestigious opponents. That’s exactly our goal.”
David Albelda will help Valencia affront Champions League debutants Bursaspor away from home as the competition kicks off on Tuesday. The match is set to take place at the Bursa Ataturk Stadium and should kick off at 2:30pm EST.
“These were the first years of a very good Valencia side. It was a pleasure to be involved. We were humbled, and we had a good balance of young and old players. For us, the first final (2000) was something very new.
“At that time, I was young. I just couldn’t believe what had happened. I was carried away by the euphoria of it all. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
Now as 33-year-old player, David Albelda could enjoy another fantastic season in the Champions League with Valencia. Although talisman David Villa is no more in the squad having moved to Barcelona, Los Che still dare to dream big.
Valencia, who have been struggling a lot since the past few years – economically like financially – have put a lot of emphasis on the Champions League this season. They finished third last season as they qualified for the group stages of the competition and their not willing to burn all their efforts as David Albelda explained:
“To play in the Champions League is the pinnacle of your career. We will try to do better this season. I know everyone at the club is pulling in the same direction.”
However, Valencia face an early tough task; reaching the knockout stages of the tournament will be a remarkable achievement since Rangers and Manchester United have both been drawn alongside Los Che in Group C. Vying for a top two finish will certainly not be easy but David Albelda is hopeful of a good European season as he analyzed Valencia’s section ahead of match-day one:
“Manchester United are the favorites [in Group C]. Even if they didn’t sign many new players [during the transfer window], they have a very solid team. As for Rangers, it’s never easy to play in Scotland, but we believe that we’re stronger than them. However, we’ll have to prove that on the pitch.”
First of all though, Valencia will need to pass Tuesday’s test against Turkey’s Bursaspor. As David Albelda prefers not to take them lightly, he declared:
“Bursaspor should be very difficult opponents; they’ve been getting some great results lately. Also, they top the Turkish table ahead of teams like Fernabahce, Besiktas, and Galatasaray. But, we know that if we qualify, then we’ll continue to play against very prestigious opponents. That’s exactly our goal.”
David Albelda will help Valencia affront Champions League debutants Bursaspor away from home as the competition kicks off on Tuesday. The match is set to take place at the Bursa Ataturk Stadium and should kick off at 2:30pm EST.
