After a week when prisoners in HMP Rye Hill in Warwickshire have been given two televisions per double cell to stop them arguing over what to watch – only in the UK can you go to prison for not having a TV licence and then watch TV in prison without having a TV licence on a choice of TV sets ! – Real Mallorca visit the intimidating Estadio Benito Villamarin in Seville where they’ll play Betis tomorrow (Saturday, November 4) at 16:15.
There have been few games so far this season that RCD Mallorca have been decisively outplayed, with the 5-3 defeat at Girona being the exception. The Palma team desperately need to put away the umpteen chances that they create as their profligacy has threatened to be a fatal flaw and we remain just three points out of the relegation zone.
With 12 goals in favour, Mallorca are not the lowest scoring team in La Liga but we are the least effective in front of goal. In our last two games we had 11 shots against Getafe and 14 away at La Real, but we’re showing a worrying lack of aim ! Coach Aguirre compared our misfiring to a cake with the icing on top missing. Games just cannot keep passing the team by with spells of dominance and control going to waste. Last week’s “shocker” at home to Getafe showed just how many opportunities we missed in a 20 minute period in the second half. In my opinion we need an out and out winger on the pitch because we don’t enjoy much possession down the flanks.
It’s vital we start stringing together a run of points to pull clear and spare local fans another nerve-shredding end of season scenario. Our target over the next few weeks is to beat the other teams in our mini league, three of them, Cadiz (H), Alaves (H) and bottom side Almeria (A) are all struggling in La Liga. Promising performances especially in Palma matter for nothing without winning all three points. Spanish footballing experts always say that La Liga doesn’t sort itself out until Christmas, and Real Mallorca’s stuttering start with nine points from a possible 33 doesn’t make for good reading.
The next games on the horizon will be fundamental for the cause. Before the next international break we host Cadiz (Sunday, Nov 12, 2pm) in a must-win game heavily marked in red on the calendar. The following ones (after playing away at Atletico Madrid on Saturday 25th 9pm) will be consecutive home games against Alaves (coached by ex Mallorca boss Luis Garcia Plaza) and Diego Alonso’s new Sevilla.
Tomorrow’s match which should see the reappearances of Raillo and Maffeo from injury (Maffeo played 10 minutes last Saturday) is going to be another tough ask for Mallorca, as Betis’s iconic stadium is never an easy place to get a result, especially in front of their fanatical fans.
This match-up brings back memories from May 2006. Fellow long-time supporter/sufferer Charles Nutter and I joined a few ex-pat jolly boys at the game. Both teams were down the wrong end of La Liga and desperately needed points with just one match left to play. On a sweltering Seville early evening, Betis went two up in the first half.
Mallorca pulled a goal back and with other results showing both teams were safe, the party began. With 15 minutes left, the Betis Ultras lobbed flares on to the pitch. The stadium was shrouded in smoke but nobody cared. Then their hard core fans set fire to plastic seats behind their goal.
Ground staff rushed to douse the flames with buckets of water (no bomberos in football grounds back then). At the end of the game, our small gang all shouted “Betis, Betis.” In turn 50,000 Beticos answered back with a rendition of “Mallorca, Mallorca.” It would have brought a tear to a glass eye !
MALLORCA EASE INTO SECOND ROUND
Real Mallorca comfortably punched their ticket into the second round of the Copa del Rey beating modest part-timers CD Boiro 0-4 on a wet and windy night in Galicia. Captain for the night, Abdon Prats was the star, scoring a hat-trick, two of them penalties. The other came from Canadian Cyle Larin who at last ended his goal drought as he also got some self-esteem back.
Mallorca totally dominated and Boiro from the sixth tier of Spanish football were totally outclassed. So much so that our No. 2 ’keeper Dominic Greif could have put up an umbrella to keep dry as the home side barely troubled him.
Coach Aguirre rang the changes with several B team players getting a baptism. One player who took the eye down the left wing was Javi Llabres. The Binissalem player must be near to his first start in a La Liga game. Mallorca scored without reply. Their opponents from last Saturday, Getafe, went goal crazy beating Tardienta from Aragon 0-12 ! The second round draw is on Tuesday.
AND FINALLY, Lee Cain, former Downing Street director of communications, showed the Covid Inquiry why he was ideal for that post when he diplomatically explained that Covid was “the wrong crisis for Boris Johnson’s skillset” instead of just calling the former PM a useless d***head !