Tension hung heavy in the air after FCI Levadia’s 1-2 loss to Paide Linnameeskond. The home side’s dressing-room door stayed closed for a long while, and when the players finally began to trickle out, their expressions made it clear – the defeat stung. Head coach Curro Torres was one of the last to emerge, taking his time before facing the aftermath.
“It’s the kind of match that has followed us all season – not just tonight,” Torres admitted afterwards talking to Soccernet.ee. “We played quite well. Paide were good too, but I thought we had the edge. Still, football is decided by results, and that’s the reality. It’s a hard moment for us, but we have to keep pushing until the very end.”
One of the ongoing discussions around Levadia this year has been their reduced firepower in attack. Statistically, the numbers don’t look disastrous – last season Felipe Felicio scored 11 league goals, while this time Bubacarr Tambedou has eight and summer recruit Wendell, who found the net against Paide, sits on six. Yet watching Levadia week to week, that same sharpness in the final third seems to have faded.
Torres doesn’t buy into the idea that the lack of a true leading striker is to blame. “I’m not interested in comparing players or talking about who used to be here,” he said. “Felipe is part of the past. Wendell scored today, so that’s not the problem. We’re creating enough chances the issue is that we’re allowing the opposition too many of their own. When that happens, they’ll punish you. We make mistakes as a team, and we have to own them together. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility as the coach to make sure we perform better.”
With just three matches remaining in the 2025 Premium Liiga season, defending champions FCI Levadia find themselves three points adrift of league leaders FC Flora Tallinn. The title race is still alive, but the margin for error has all but vanished. To retain their crown, Levadia not only need to win out but must also hope Flora stumble in at least two of their remaining fixtures – a tall order, especially as Flora hold the head-to-head advantage should the two sides finish level on points.
Levadia’s next test comes this Sunday with a trip to Pärnu to face Pärnu JK Vaprus – a match they simply cannot afford to drop. For Curro Torres and his players, the equation is simple now: three games, three must-win performances, and a little help from elsewhere if they are to keep their title hopes alive.
Source: https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/curro-torres-teeme-meeskonnana-vigu-aga-mina-peatreenerina-vastutan
