The latest international break was not kind to Real Mallorca. A number of players were away on duty with their national teams. The early signs were good as star striker Muriqi netted a hat trick for Kosovo against Iceland to continue his recent return to form.
Valencia vs RCD Mallorca: 30th March
The next La Liga fixture for the Islanders was on the 30th of March away at Valencia which in the past has not been a happy hunting ground for the team as Valencia were a powerhouse of Spanish football.Â
However they have had huge financial problems recently with their owners insisting on selling the best players to make ends meet. For years they have been building a brand new stadium to replace the iconic but crumbling Mestalla ground but don’t have the finance to finish the project.
Mallorca fans were optimistic and many travelled by boat and plane to support the team. However the early team news was depressing to say the least. Muriqi and fellow striker Cyle Larin had returned from international duty with muscle strains and were not fit to play. Valjent and Mohica returned late from games for Slovakia and Colombia respectively and were only fit for the bench. Arrasate has adopted a five man defence for away games so Copete and David Lopez were drafted into the defence. The latter was making his full debut for the side after a loan spell at Burgos. Toni Lato came in to replace Mohica and he was afforded a heroes welcome as he had played for 10 years for the home side. Valencia have improved in recent weeks benefiting from the so called new manager bounce as Carlos Corberan, the former West Bromwich Albion manager had been drafted in as the new head coach of The Che as Valencia are known.Â
However Mallorca started as the more innovative side without troubling the home keeper. Abdon Prats was drafted in as the main striker in the absence of the regular strikers and the Arta born player has been complaining of a lack of game time. This was a golden opportunity to prove his point although he had little opportunity to impress. Both wing backs Maffeo and Lato concentrated on their defensive duties so there was little in the way of crosses for Abdon to feed. He did receive a number of fouls and some of those were waved as play on by an inconsistent referee. The whistler then decided to brandish a yellow card at Raillo the Mallorca captain, which ruled him out of the next match against Celta Vigo because of an accumulation of bookings. Half time came and went and early in the second half Raillo unusually misplaced a pass and Diego Lopez placed home a brilliant curling shot. TV replays placed the chance of him scoring as low as 6.5 %!
Japanese winger Asano missed a simple chance to equalise when he put a header wide. Asano and Sergi Darder were dominating the home defence and surprisingly Arrasate took them both off. Valencia retreated to defend their lead and Mallorca huffed and puffed but to little effect. Samu Costa was also booked and alongside Raillo missed the home game against Celta Vigo on Saturday the 5th of April. With both sides in the mix for a European spot next season this was a golden opportunity to put one over on their rivals. Everything started well with Mallorca on the front foot from the off. On 17 minutes Dani Rodriguez was fouled in the perfect spot for a Sergi Darder free kick and he floated in a precision effort for Martin Valjent to head home. Things took a turn for the worse on 37 minutes when Muriqi went off with a muscular injury to be replaced by Larin.
After the break Larin missed an easy chance and inevitably on 53 minutes Alfon equalised for the visitors with a snap shot. More injury worries followed with Morlanes and Asano succumbing to the muscular injury bug. To rub salt into the wound on 72 minutes Fer Lopez scored the winner for Celta Vigo. Another disappointing performance from the Islanders was compounded with the post match news that Muriqi, Morlanes, Asano and Robert Navarro would all miss the next fixture at Real Sociedad on Saturday the 12th of April at 14.00.
Real Sociedad vs RCD Mallorca: April 12th
The home side were above Mallorca in La Liga and looking good for a European spot. A promising season for Arrasates men was threatening to fall away at the final hurdle. With four major protagonists absent and Mallorca´s dreadful record in the San Sebastain stadium of La Real, as they are known, the omens were not good. Copete was drafted in to what is now a customary five man defence for away games.Â
Surprisingly the team rolled up their sleeves and dominated the game from the start with Darder completely controlling the midfield. He is the most expensive player bought by Mallorca and has struggled to live up to that billing. He set up the opening goal in the 20th minute for Cyle Larin whose deflected shot trickled over the line.
Larin is the second most expensive signing ever for the club and has failed to live up to that even more than Darder. Sociedad did threaten an equaliser but Dominic Greif in goal made two excellent saves before half time.
After the break Mallorca started strongly again and after only two minutes Darder’s shot squirmed underneath the diving body of home keeper Alex Remiro. The visitors then controlled the match to the end with captain Raillo at his imperious best. This was the first clean sheet for over 3 months and a morale booster for the players and fans alike. Mallorca moved back into the European qualification places after this victory.Â
The Jekyll and Hyde nature of the team’s performance is mystifying to say the least. The next game is at home to lowly Leganes on Saturday April 19th with a kick off time of 18.30. On Tuesday the 22nd of April the Islanders travel to Barcelona the leaders of La Liga starting at 21.30.Â
Some punters are sarcastically suggesting a good wager is a home defeat and a win in Catalunya!