A Moment of Relief
After things started looking up with last week’s hard-fought draw away to Osasuna, Mallorca truly put an end to their barren run in emphatic – if tense – fashion by securing a surprise win over Athletic Bilbao this weekend. Athletic have been in strong form as of late and Los Bermellones will have been expecting a tough test if they were to get anything from the game; as it turned out, they were more than a match even for the strong side from the Basque Country.
Last time out at the Iberostar Estadi any semblance of the island fort remaining intact disappeared as Sporting de Gijon rampaged to an embarrassing 4-0 victory over Els Barralets, so despite being at home there was nowhere to hide. The islanders expected a real battle against the Basques and the aim was simply to come away with something to show for their efforts – even a point would have been a sign of steady improvement – as the club looks ahead to an increasingly difficult set of fixtures looming on the horizon.
Frustrated at the prospect of playing on a Monday yet again, the club presented season ticket holders with an extra ticket for their partners as a Valentine’s Day gift. For a club in such financial trouble this is obviously an incredible showing of goodwill, but at the same time it had a more practical motive: the team were desperate for fans to attend the midweek game and provide them with as much support as possible in the face of stern opposition. Evidently it paid off, and there was a good atmosphere inside the stadium – indeed, attendances didn’t seem much lower than a weekend game – that helped to propel the team forward from the first whistle.
Both the fans and the club itself should be praised for their actions that combined to positive effect, focusing their efforts on one thing: helping the team on the pitch during a difficult period.
The atmosphere certainly seemed to have an immediate impact on the team at the game’s outset, as Los Bermellones charged forward with menace every time they were on the ball. Athletic’s defence looked nervous, sluggish and intimidated as Mallorca’s plethora of attackers progressed towards them, and Webó’s quick reactions from Nsue’s ball in meant that the home side took an early lead – a rarity this season.
It was a perfect first-half display from the islanders as they took the fight to Athletic, and but for some wasteful finishing they had enough opportunities to have sealed the game before the break. Pereira and Castro were uncharacteristically quiet but Nsue threatened the visitors seemingly with every touch, and Jonathan de Guzman pulled the strings from the heart of Mallorca’s midfield during an energetic spell that saw Athletic frantically trying to stay in the game.
After taking the lead Los Bermellones had countless chances to kill the game off, but each time they were denied by a mishit final ball or a scuffed finish. In a perfect position to clinch an important victory, the fans couldn’t help but wonder whether they would rue these wasted opportunities.
And when Mallorca’s bright start to the second half faded away, Athletic seized control of the match and it seemed only a matter of time before they broke through the home side’s defence to claim an equalising goal. Laudrup must be commended for starting with an attacking line-up, but he took swift action to shore up his backline as the game wore on by introducing extra defenders into the game, and one wonders whether this only served to pile more pressure on the islanders as they settled into a defensive mindset instead of forcing Athletic back a little more proactively.
But he will have felt that changes were required, and he cannot be blamed. When the momentum shifts in favour of the opposition, it’s a tall order to reclaim it.
Fortunately, the combination of resilient defending from Mallorca and a sprinkling of good luck ensured that they could hold onto the lead, and in the end it was Athletic who were left to rue their missed chances as the game drew to a close.
By exceeding expectations, Los Bermellones have begun to rebuild the safety net that they had so swiftly given themselves at the start of the season. After a run of poor results Mallorca had succumbed to intense pressure, looking down the table in fear, walking a tightrope from week to week. Another slip may have seen them fall for good.
Instead, Mallorca have relieved much of that pressure – at least for now.
Up next the islanders travel north to take on another Basque side, Real Sociedad. It is here that Mallorca will reap the benefits of their achievement this past weekend: by getting three points against Athletic, a good result against Real is no longer absolutely essential.
Whilst the pressure is eased, however, the importance of any points secured from this journey cannot be understated ahead of fixtures against Barcelona, Espanyol and Valencia. Mallorca should simply look to avoid defeat against Real in order to build some momentum heading into an incredibly tough portion of the season. Every point is vital at this stage, but more important is the effect it will have on the team’s confidence and belief.
More optimistically, if Mallorca can pull off another shock victory it may alleviate all of the team’s fears for the rest of the campaign. Whilst there’s still plenty of time left for the season to swing either way, three more points will see Los Bermellones edge closer to the finish line, ensuring they won’t have to concern themselves with looking down again this year.
by Phil Montgomery