[1] Murcia then plied his trade in the third division, leading Atlético Madrid's B team to the league championship in his first year, albeit with no playoff promotion.
[2] On 9 January 2006, following a 0–0 La Liga home draw against Valencia CF, he was appointed the Colchoneros' first team's manager, replacing the dismissed Carlos Bianchi; they ranked 12th at that time,[3] going on to finish the campaign in tenth position.
On 30 November 2009, after a 2–3 home defeat to CD Numancia, he was fired at Albacete Balompié due to negative results, with the Castilla–La Mancha side in 16th position at that time[6]– eventually ending 15th.
On 9 August 2011, Murcia signed a two-year contract with Romania's FC Brașov,[7] but resigned at the Liga I club after three matches due to family reasons.
[13] He won promotion to the Qatar Stars League with an unbeaten first season, and then came seventh in his second, earning him a nomination for Manager of the Year alongside Jesualdo Ferreira of champions Al Sadd SC.