Danger Ahead
If people were watching this weekend’s matchup against Osasuna hoping for something conclusive – a way to gauge the route Mallorca are likely to take through the second half of the season – then they will have been sorely disappointed. The result was certainly a step in the right direction, but it didn’t provide any decisive evidence to reveal how the season is fated to unfold.
One of the recurring elements of many Mallorca games so far this season has been an uncanny lack of defensive ability early on, and Los Bermellones continued this trait in Pamplona as they conceded within five minutes. This lack of focus has cost the team dearly many times this season, shooting themselves in the foot almost before the match has even begun. The fact that the team consistently fails to keep a clean sheet early on creates an ironic contrast to the bigger picture: whereas Mallorca often give themselves work to do in order to simply catch up on their opponents in the context of an individual game, the season as a whole couldn’t have started in a more positive manner.
The way Mallorca began the season was like scoring – not conceding – in the opening minutes, creating distance between yourself and the opposition, giving yourself a solid foundation upon which to build to victory.
But like Mallorca’s comeback against Osasuna proved, it’s not all about a bright start. Unless you continue in the same vain to see the game off, all the hard work can amount to nothing as the foundations crumble beneath you.
So, in a way, in the context of the entire season Los Bermellones find themselves in the same situation Osasuna were in on Saturday evening. Early celebrations had led to a comfortable position, but with success looming on the horizon they conspired to throw it all away by taking their foot off the pedal.
Mallorca are currently in danger of doing the same thing.
Of course, credit must be given to Los Bermellones for grabbing a point from a game that could’ve slipped swiftly away after such a dreadful start. Everything revolves around context, and given that Mallorca headed into the game on the back of an unwanted losing streak, a draw marks real progress, especially away at a hostile venue against a tough and dangerous team who had just pulled off one of the results of the season a week earlier.
The team could have let their heads go down, and after going behind it looked like Mallorca’s losing streak was set to continue. Laudrup described the result in an extremely positive way, examining the impact it will have on the morale of the team, and it’s hard to disagree. Avoiding defeat was certainly the priority.
But whilst fans can be happy that the team achieved this, the performance doesn’t inspire huge amounts of confidence for the rest of the season. The early blip shows that something remains rotten at the heart of Mallorca’s defence, especially whenever a single person is missing. On the surface it beggars belief how the team manages to hold off teams like Madrid for large portions of a match, then concedes to lower opposition in the blink of an eye, but it all points to the fact that without the complete unit in place – without the first team being available every week – Mallorca are drastically weakened. If one cog goes missing, the entire backline seems to suffer, and that’s a dangerous way for the team to live.
Serra Ferrer has revealed that the club is looking into the free agent market after a disappointing turn of events in January, but one wonders how far this will be able to address the squad’s problems. Replacements seem necessary all over the pitch, but this kind of activity seems extremely unlikely, especially before the end of the season. The only hope is that the players who are drafted into the defence, for example, manage to improve in the run in with a little more match sharpness.
Right now, the entire squad looks like it’s burned out. It was always likely that they would suffer to recreate their form from the first half of the season, but their position of relative comfort just a few months ago has disappeared and it’s hard to see where they will find that extra spark for the testing months ahead.
The next two fixtures see Los Bermellones take on the tricky Basque sides in Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, but despite the challenge these sides will pose to Els Barralets, gaining points from these matches is becoming more and more vital – not least because the next match sees Barcelona visit the island. By the time this match rolls around, Los Bermellones do not want to find themselves edging closer towards the relegation zone.
Like a stubborn child who refuses to make a decision, Mallorca currently remain sat on the fence. For now, at least, fans are left to ponder whether the team are in the clear after an excellent start to the season gave way to a swift decline. Has the squad ran out of steam or do they still have enough left in the tank to see them through to the finish line? As it stands, it could go either way.
by Phil Montgomery