The festive season is usually a time for giving and 2024 was no different for 41-year-old boss Carlos Corberan. The former West Bromwich Albion manager took the decision to swap a playoff bid in the EFL Championship to return to his native Valencia in December, giving everything he’s got to keep his hometown club up in Spain’s La Liga.
After his first ten games in charge, a 50% win rate is a fantastic start to life at the Mestalla.
Valencia’s reaction to their 7-1 hammering at Barcelona has been impressive. They went on to win their following two home games against Celta Vigo and Leganes. In fact, Valencia are now averaging 1.50 points per game at the Mestalla. Although this isn’t a groundbreaking points return, Valencia could be worth entering back into your weekend patent bets along with two other La Liga fixtures.
If you’d like the patent bet explained, it’s essentially seven separate bets placed covering three games – three doubles, three singles and one treble. This makes it possible to get a return from winning bets even if an inconsistent team like Valencia lets you down.
Corberan’s success so far
Corberan’s time in English football has been an undisputed success, despite him being something of a nearly man. A two-year spell with Huddersfield Town culminated in him steering the Terriers to the 2021/22 Championship playoff final against Nottingham Forest. Corberan was to suffer Wembley heartache though, with an own goal separating the sides, as Forest returned to the Premier League after a two-decade hiatus.
Corberan resigned from his position soon after, resulting in a brief stint with Greek giants Olympiacos. Corberan’s stay was brief as the club dispensed of his services following back-to-back defeats in the Europa League group stage. Meanwhile the team was languishing in fifth spot in the Greek Super League.
Marcelo Bielsa’s protégé wasn’t out of work for long though and a return to English football was on the cards. West Bromwich Albion enticed Corberan to the West Midlands in October 2022. At the time, the Baggies were second bottom after a third of the season. Following a losing debut, Corberan then presided over ten wins in 12 league games, steering Albion well clear of relegation troubles.
In the 2023/24 season, Corberan’s team were pepped-up further. They were comfortably one of the most physical sides in the division. West Brom weren’t afraid to play the percentages and their defensive record was incredibly tight.
Corberan was back in the EFL Championship playoffs with Albion at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, this time locking horns with Southampton in the semi-finals. Unfortunately for him and the Baggies, Southampton’s former Premier League quality eventually shone through, taking the Saints to a playoff final which they would ultimately win against Leeds.
A top six finish was viewed as a magnificent achievement for Corberan considering Albion’s lack of resources and the strength of the teams that occupied the top spots. At the start of 2024/25, Corberan was hell bent on achieving the same success again.
When Valencia came calling to replace Ruben Baraja, Albion were in seventh position, despite having their playing budget slashed by 30% for 2024/25.
Corberan’s qualities for the Mestalla hot-seat
There’s no doubt that Corberan’s organisational qualities were some of the best in the EFL Championship. For the last 18 months, West Brom have been a team that’s better than the sum of its parts. This is largely down to Corberan’s structured style, which gives teams few goal scoring opportunities. It’s a testament to his reign at The Hawthorns that Albion had a +38 goal difference from his 107 games in charge.
Corberan also coached Albion to become a very intelligent pressing-based team, knowing when to squeeze high up the pitch. This is a quality which aligns well with some of Valencia’s best eras under the likes of Unai Emery and Rafael Benitez.
The financial constraints surrounding Valencia CF these days are no secret. They are increasingly leaning on their academy, with midfielders Diego Lopez, Fran Perez and Javi Guerra all coming through the ranks. Corberan has a strong track record of improving young talents, as evidenced by his work with Bielsa at Leeds, followed by Huddersfield and West Brom.
It also helps that Corberan deeply understands Spanish football and, more importantly, the importance of Valencia. He represented Valencia’s B team before moving on to Burjassot and Ribarroja prior to his retirement in favor of a coaching career. Corberan is no stranger to boardroom uncertainty either, so Peter Lim’s somewhat chaotic ownership reign should offer few surprises.
If Corberan can steer Valencia away from the drop zone, his reputation is sure to reach even greater heights.
