Surprising Expectations

Perhaps the best thing about supporting a side whose form is inconsistent and sporadic, to say the least, is that every now and then they pull off a result that truly surprises you. More often than not they come not only when you least expect it, but when you need them most, and it is this uncanny combination that keeps us on the edge of our seats week in, week out.

And so it was at the Cornella-El Prat last night, where Mallorca bounced back from two successive defeats to record a highly impressive 2-1 victory over Espanyol. Even more remarkable was the manner of the triumph: not only were Los Bermellones away from the comforts of the island, playing against a team that boasted one of the division’s more impeccable home records, but they came from a goal down at half-time to secure all three immensely valuable points.

Oh, and all that was after missing the perfect opportunity to take the lead when Castro’s early penalty was met with a simple and demoralising save. Not a bad surprise at all.

Of course, it’s only a surprise because it’s not what was expected. Pessimistic as it may seem, in truth, on the back of a poor sequence of games and with morale still at a low point, it seemed likely that the team would implode during a tough match in a tricky stadium. Indeed, evidence of their self-destruction has been plain to see over recent weeks and months as the momentum of Mallorca’s bright start faded away and their form slowly but surely took a turn for the worse with each passing game. Every new match brings a fresh challenge and an opportunity to stop the slide, but more and more it seemed like a task that the team, with its peculiar divide between youthful naivety and aged experience, weren’t up to facing.

Add to that the fact that the flagship of Mallorca’s youth, Jonathan de Guzman, and the crown jewel of the team’s experience, Pep Marti, were both absent and the formula seemed a simple one: the most realistic positive outcome Los Bermellones could hope to achieve was a hard-fought draw… and it would take a lot of fight to achieve even that.

But it’s strange how expectations can alter minute-by-minute as a game evolves; all part of the rollercoaster ride that is football. Their rapid transformation summed up the game’s opening and within a few minutes alone they had gone from one extreme to the other. Winning the penalty saw optimism skyrocket. The chance was there; maybe victory wasn’t out of reach after all. But when Castro’s tame effort rolled into the grateful hands of the keeper, all that hopefulness disappeared. Typical. It definitely wasn’t our night.

Mallorca fans didn’t have to wait long for that misery to be compounded as Espanyol took the lead soon after. There it was; the self-destruct button had been pressed and Els Barralets’ defence disappeared accordingly to allow the home side the opening goal.

And the expectations sank away once more. Another impending defeat to add to the growing pile.

But Mallorca were a different team after the restart and they offered up reason after reason to believe. Expectations grew once more. Would it be possible to drag ourselves back into this one? Chances came and went; maybe it was too much to ask. Step in Webó.

The Cameroonian capped an excellent performance with the equalising goal to pull Mallorca level, but whilst his impact cannot be understated, the real genius was the introduction of Akihiro Ienaga, who inspired the team’s final push towards victory. Emilio Nsue grabbed the goal but Aki grabbed all the attention, and on last night’s evidence proves that Los Bermellones may have actually signed someone of note during the January transfer window, if you’ll believe it. The talk of him going out on an immediate loan due to the lack of non-EU places in the squad seemed to sum up the attitude that he was nothing more than a marketing move and squad filler, but those early judgements seem to be completely off the mark. If he can keep up that level of performance, his role in the squad could be something different altogether.

I’ll be the first to admit that the last thing I expected was such an instant impact from the tricky Japanese winger. Another pleasant surprise, then.

With the newfound awareness that Mallorca’s spirit and determination remains intact – or has at least been rediscovered – it’s easier to look back over the recent poor results with a little more clarity and confidence. The match against Barcelona was par for the course; the team started well but simply couldn’t contain the talent of the champions, regardless of their list of high-profile absences. There isn’t an awful lot of complaining one can do about this result; whilst it may have been a good chance to take the fight to the league-leaders, realistically there was only one way the match would end. The game against Real Sociedad, meanwhile, was a bizarre affair, dictated more by the disastrous weather than by the talent of either team. In the end it was an encounter best forgotten.

So, if pleasant surprises such as the victory against Espanyol are the best parts about supporting a club like Mallorca, then obviously the reverse is true: the worst parts are the unexpected defeats, and though this is true of any team, Los Bermellones’ inconsistency means that you are always kept guessing. It’s hard not to be frustrated by a team that pulls off a massive result only to slip up in a game that they should easily put to bed, but more often than not that’s the logic football abides by.

Some may call it karma.

Mallorca are edging closer and closer to their ultimate goal – safety – and everything after that is icing on the cake. The team doesn’t look to be in too much real trouble of sinking to the depths of relegation, but with work yet to be done the team must ensure that it remains focused on the task at hand. Up next is another huge challenge in the form of Valencia, and on paper this seems to be another game of low expectations, similar to the match against Barcelona.

Given Mallorca’s performance against Valencia earlier in the season, though – as well as the fact that Valencia may be more than a little distracted by their impending crucial Champions League tie against Schalke – you would be forgiven for expecting a little more from Los Bermellones.  However, on the basis of Mallorca’s sporadic nature, perhaps we should all firmly expect a loss – not to avoid disappointment, and not to be pleasantly surprised should the team achieve a better result.

Simply, we should expect nothing because that’s the logic of football. If we expect anything else, then by my calculations we’re due an unpleasant surprise. After all, karma doesn’t wait too long to balance things out.

by Phil Montgomery