The last time Valencia were still unbeaten after nine games since the start of a season was 2003/04, and Rafael Benitez was in charge. Los Che would go on to win the league title that year in swashbuckling fashion.

Though it’s still very early days, new coach Marcelino has got everyone misty-eyed and reflective, and wondering whether Valencia are on the cusp of such glories once more.

The 52-year-old Asturian has certainly authored one of the most incredible turnarounds in modern Spanish football history, because after a series of bad decisions both on and off of the pitch, Valencia were truly on a club on its knees in every sense.

In the 20 months since Nuno Santo resigned from the managerial post in November 2015 — after a loss against last Saturday’s opponents Sevilla — Gary Neville, Pako Ayesteran and Cesare Prandelli all tried, and failed, to bring some harmony to the dressing room and success to the club.

Salvador Gonzalez, more commonly known as ‘Voro,’ at least managed the former in three separate caretaker spells in the same time period, but none of the latter.

No one really batted an eyelid when Marcelino took the post on July 1, 2017, espousing many of the same virtues as his predecessors. However, a hard-line approach combined with some magnificent transfer business has paid immediate dividends.

Goncalo Guedes, a 20-year-old on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, has been a revelation, and comparisons to David Silva and Juan Mata in their Mestalla pomp are not without foundation. Ditto midfield enforcer, Geoffrey Kondogbia, another loanee from Inter.

Perhaps Marcelino’s biggest success thus far, however, is the resurrection of Simone Zaza. Consistently mocked for his missed penalty in the European Championship for Italy, the frontman was completely devoid of confidence after a terrible spell at West Ham United. By the player’s own admission, he was at his lowest ebb.

A reasonable first season on loan at Valencia convinced the Spaniards to buy him permanently, and now he looks every inch the archetypal target man. Eight goals in nine games is a fine return and if he stays fit, he can be Los Che’s match winner par excellence.

Away from the field of play, owner Peter Lim has, wisely, decided that the limelight isn’t for him. Consistently bad decision making means that there’s scepticism about re-starting work on the Nou Mestalla which originally began in 2006 and halted in 2009 through lack of funds. Club president, Anil Murthy, has already set aside a €150m (Dh648 million) budget however, to ensure that the project will finally be delivered. If it does happen, it could well turn the tide of public opinion back in Lim’s favour.

One of only three unbeaten teams in La Liga at the time of writing, and sat proudly in second place behind leaders Barcelona, whisper it quietly, there’s expectation that the early season promise will deliver finally trophy success too.