A Valiant Effort
Despite the fact that expectations heading into this evening’s match at the Bernabéu were understandably low, Los Bermellones gave an excellent account of themselves as they pushed Real Madrid right to the end, almost coming away with a hard-fought point. Mallorca showed no signs of giving Los Blancos an easy path to victory, and had it not been for a reversal in fortune, the result could have been vastly different.
On another day, Mallorca may well have claimed an infamous scalp, opening up the gap between the league’s top two, thrusting Madrid into turmoil. Unfortunately for the islanders, the script was written to allow Real’s chase to continue.
The home side began the game with little urgency, going through the motions of putting limp pressure on the visitors. Mallorca, meanwhile, strode forward without fear when they won the ball, counter-attacking energetically, and it wasn’t long before they created the best chance of the match as Nsue hit the post. A matter of inches kept Los Bermellones away from the lead, but it only spurred the team on. There was a growing sense of belief as the realisation set in that the match was well and truly there to be won.
Mourinho made changes halfway through the game, and whilst it ended up giving them the drive they needed to claim victory, it was Mallorca who continued to create the best chances just after the break. Els Barralets kept Madrid’s nerves shaking with threatening moves; the only thing missing was the end product. Webó, with almost the final kick of the game, came close to pulling an equaliser out of nothing, but it simply wasn’t to be.
Interestingly, Laudrup didn’t use any substitutions as the starting line-up lasted the duration of the ninety minutes. The manager didn’t see fit to make any attacking changes – though he was never likely to bring Cavenaghi into the game anyway – and the defence, whilst perhaps tiring, put in a brave and determined performance. To be fair there was no need to tamper with it.
It must be remembered that Mallorca’s squad is short, and with Marti and Víctor Casadesús adding to the injury list over the past couple weeks, the last thing they needed was for two of the starting eleven – de Guzman and Cendrós – to be absent through suspension. Oddly enough, though, each replacement put in a good performance. The young Sergio Tejera didn’t look wholly out of place, even against world class opposition, and even Ratinho had a decent game. It is, of course, a testament to Los Bermellones’ spirited mentality: the result of a collective all pulling in the same direction.
Indeed, their tactical approach to the game – whilst it did not pay dividends in the end – was picture perfect, and they executed it flawlessly. As the game wore on Mallorca only began to look more dangerous, their style of play immensely suited to breaking out with pace on the counter-attack. At the end of the day they were unlucky to be defeated at all, never mind to be held scoreless.
It is astounding to think that Madrid not only feature a variety of players who cost more than the collective value of Mallorca’s entire team, but that they have a couple whose value actually exceeds that of the club itself.
But it’s a gulf that was absent on the pitch tonight. The spirit shown in Los Bermellones’ performance is certainly something money can’t buy.
After a positive start to the new year, two consecutive defeats makes for grim reading for Mallorca fans. The opposition must be taken into account, though, and whilst Los Bermellones would have hoped to take a point or two from the Madrid double act, in truth anything garnered during their trips to the capital would have been a bonus. A more important test lies ahead as the team returns to the Iberostar Estadi to face Sporting Gijon next weekend, and it’s against teams of a similar stature to Els Barralets that the pressure to win increases.
It’s often hard to second guess Los Bermellones, who have so far this season been rife with unpredictability and inconsistency. But if they show the determination they did against Madrid this evening, everything points to a return to winning ways on the island.
by Phil Montgomery