So Far, So Good

How to sum up the early stages of Mallorca’s season? In a simple contrast: the optimist will point to the results, the pessimist will point to the performances. Let’s continue this distinction and translate it into practical terms: home form and away form. The team isn’t always performing at its best – not sharp enough in attack, not enough concentration in defence (away) – but it’s getting results where they are needed (home).

Seven points from five games is an entirely respectable total, there can be very little argument. The manner in which the team are grabbing these points, however, is questionable. The over reliance on home performances is a huge risk and the team’s inability to perform on their travels is now as expected as it is perplexing. The reasons remain bizarre: there seems, simply, to be a mental barrier at work – and this mentality is dangerous, for when the points stop flowing at home, the team could find themselves in real trouble, and breaking that barrier will become essential. No easy task.

But for now, Mallorca have made a decent start.

The team can be happy with the haul of points they have grabbed so far, which sees them sitting comfortably in mid-table. Granted, everything’s still being established, but based on the early goings their current position looks a likely finishing point, tucked away securely and neatly, far from the excitement of the dogfights at the bottom and equally distant from the glamour of Europe at the top. And as far away from the action areas as it is, this is exactly where Mallorca want to be, sailing safely under the radar.

Like last season, unexpectedly, the team is a force at home. One may point to easy fixtures but grudge matches against potential relegation rivals – Osasuna and Real Sociedad – can be the toughest of all, whilst opening against the might of Madrid is obviously no simple assignment. Still, it’s certain that it will not last and sooner or later one of the teams from the upper echelons of La Liga will leave the island with maximum points. But this is expected. Indeed, the real danger is that an unexpected team could be the ones to grab all three points, and this would be a real blow to Mallorca’s confidence, and only serve to heighten the intense pressure away from home.

Unfortunately, like last season, only this time expectedly, the team seems to roll over anytime it is out of the comfort zone of the Iberostar Estadi. One may point to tough fixtures thus far, having gone to hostile stadiums of well-supported teams – Sporting Gijón and Athletic Bilbao – but by examining the performances it’s clear Mallorca simply aren’t the same team when on their travels. It’s fine for now, but we’ll see what the club is truly made of when the pressure is on and road wins become a necessity. Even the odd one, as unexpected as it will be, may be just the solution.

So it’s clear the team cannot continue for the rest of the season in this vein, only competing for points at home. Because of this, overall opinions of Mallorca’s start can be divided.

Has the team started well or started poorly? Are the home wins simply papering over the cracks or are they an indication of the pedigree the side can have on its day – form that, translated to away matches, will see the team finish respectably? Or are the road performances evidence that the team doesn’t have what it takes, that when the home wins dry up the team will slip into a relegation battle and struggle to climb out of it?

As the season goes on we’ll get a clearer picture and until then this multitude of opinions can provide masses of analytical debate. We’ve seen indications of how the season could go, but no conclusive proof. Obviously, either hypothesis could prove true, but it’s certain that the team has shown it is not going to roll over. The solution to Mallorca’s problems is to translate home form to the road, as last season’s astounding home record cannot be expected again.

But as last season proved, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Sure, there are things that need to be addressed. There is room for improvement. But the team has gotten some important results and it’s safe to say Mallorca is on its way. So for now, it’s so far, so good.

- Phil M.