After a week when I read “I love the tenacity of the English – there are few other places on the planet where you will find someone standing outside the hospital in their pyjamas holding on to the drip stand for support and smoking through their tracheotomy tube !” – Real Mallorca are set to play their final ten games of the season, starting with an away game on Monday night at Celta Vigo (two places above us on 36), kick off 21:00. Mallorca haven’t won there since 2007. Two players, Baba and Gio Gonzalez will return from suspension but Copete and Costa face a one-game ban. Dani Rodriguez is an injury doubt.
These last ten games were once described by our ex iconic coach Luis Aragones as the only games that matter in a season, when everything is decided. With 30 points up for grabs, the Palma side have a wiggle room of seven points over Espanyol and Valencia on 27. They could both follow Elche into La Segunda. Mallorca have five games at home and five away. If, as anticipated, our goal of 42 points is to be reached to guarantee a La Liga place next season, we need eight more points.
Last Sunday’s 3-3 draw at Valladolid has been described as “un partidazo” (a sizzler of a game) as we managed to salvage a point from the jaws of defeat with a 94th minute spot kick converted by “El Pirata” Vedat Muriqi. With his goal tally now 12, he’s scored 48% of our goals this season. The Kosovan striker, South Korean Kang In Lee and Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic have been our three outstanding players this season and let’s hope we can hold on to them during the Summer.
Mallorca now enter a hectic plethora of fixtures, with a home game against Getafe on Sunday April 23 at 18:30. On the 26th we’re away at Ath. Madrid (19:30), then home to At. Bilbao on Monday May 1 (a fiesta) (19:00) followed by a trip to Girona on May 4 at 19:30.
Local and national sports pages were raving about Vedat Muriqi’s performance last Sunday but Moviestar cameras showed the more humane side of the Kosovan hit-man. In the build-up to our second goal, the ball hit Valladolid player Roque Mesa (wobbly table !) on the side of his head and he was pole-axed. As Mallorca scored their second goal, Muriqi, instead of joining the celebrations, paused to check that Mesa was okay before any of his team-mates were on the scene.
When Mallorca fulfill their objective of staying up it will be time to plan for next season. Top priority will be signing a player who can contribute a minimum of 10 goals to the team so that Muriqi doesn’t have to take that responsibility on his own. The idea was that Kadewere (on loan from Lyon) would be that back-up player. However, the Zimbabwean has been disappointing and will go back to his parent club in June. Also on their way will be Angel going home to Tenerife and Amath who, in my opinion, is of second division standard. Abdon Prats is considered a symbol of the club, a cult hero with the Ultras and has a contract until 2024. All these strikers have barely contributed three goals all season. Angel hasn’t even scored this campaign.
Our American owners have formalised a new monetary injection of nearly 15 million euros. This amount will be used solely for work on remodelling the Son Moix which is scheduled to be completed next year and to update the Son Bibiloni training complex on the Soller Road.
Since the US consortium took over the club in January 2016 their investment has exceeded 65 million euros, an amount that has revived the fortunes of Real Mallorca who were in serious risk of disappearing not so long ago. The reality is that our debts back then were huge with the club in full bankruptcy. Moneywise things couldn’t be better.
There’s to be a meeting next week between the Spanish Federation (RFEF) and the new referees’ committee to discuss all things relevant about the state of officiating in Spain’s top leagues. Increasing unhappiness from Spanish clubs about the standard of refereeing is on the agenda (good luck with that one !). Top of the list is the disparate salaries that clubs feel the “arbitros” are earning. Spanish referees earn MORE THAN DOUBLE that of their counterparts in the Premier league and much more than some footballers. Also under the microscope is the fact that La Liga has seen a remarkable 114 red cards this season, a total that eclipses Serie A, the Premier league and the Bundesliga put together.
PS Seen on social media this week : Suffering is in the DNA of Mallorcanism, it’s inherent since 1916 !
AND FINALLY, “Snowflakes” are trying to ban Ba-Ba Black Sheep. The animal might identify as a goat or a ram and the wool isn’t vegan friendly. “Yes sir, yes sir” is sexist. “Three bags full” might not be recyclable. “One for the master and one for the dame” would have to be changed to “them” or “they.” Instead of a “little boy” they would have to change it to “gender fluid human that lives down the lane !”