After a successful first season under Marcelino, the club secured 4th position and a return to the Champions League. Valencia also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. On 25 May 2019, Valencia won the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2008, upsetting FC Barcelona in the final. However, both Marcelino and sporting director Mateu Alemany, were fired on 11 September 2019 after falling out with Lim. The manager was replaced by Albert Celades, who was eventually sacked after a run of poor results despite earlier qualifying for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, while new sports director César Sanchez resigned that same season, making six different managers and another six sports directors by 2020.