After a week when I overheard our neighbours having a domestic, the husband was telling his wife that when you die you get reincarnated but you must come back as a different being – she said “I want to come back as a cow” and he replied “You’re obviously not listening !” – Real Mallorca return to La Liga business (after nine days of relaxation) with a home game against third bottom Girona on Sunday night (January 4) with an 18:30 kick off. The visitors are on 15 points. Mallorca are three above them in 13th on 18 points. A win for the islanders would put them six ahead of Girona and could push Mallorca up into mid table.
The Palma side had a poor second half of last season and an even more inconsistent first half of this one. Things need to change, and quickly, both on the pitch and in terms of morale to avoid suffering at the end of the season. One of the most important ongoing things in Spanish football is the winter transfer window which runs between Friday, January 2 and Monday, February 3.
The winter world of football experiences a shake up and is a period of anticipation, excitement and strategic manoeuvring for clubs aiming to strengthen their squads. In Real Mallorca’s case it’s time to make adjustments and address weaknesses. Players who become available in this transfer window are usually ones who have been out injured and are back on the road to recovery or are surplus to requirements at other clubs (either because they’re rubbish, wish to move on, or don’t see eye to eye with their manager).
With Real Mallorca’s season now limited to a single competition, the team can’t have any excuses not to focus entirely on solving the relegation threat as soon as possible. There are also no excuses in the sporting management department. The squad needs at least two reinforcements and reliable replacements in defence, and on the right wing where the situation has reached crisis point. The overhauling that should have taken place in the Summer didn’t, making the present situation increasingly urgent. Real Mallorca have been lucky over the years with players coming in during the winter and our present striker (and star player) Vedat Muriqi arrived here from Italian club Lazio in January 2022.
After the winter break last January, Mallorca were in sixth place on 30 points and the Son Moix was buzzing with excitement. Then the wheels fell off. We kicked off the New Year with a humiliating 3-0 defeat away in Galicia to a lower league outfit called Pontevedra who beat us 3-0 in the Copa del Rey. Next up was participation in the Spanish Super Cup which took place in Saudi Arabia. That was when the rot really set in. Losing to Real Madrid was a foregone conclusion but the harassment and violence suffered by our travelling fans and the players’ families was a disgrace. All the club’s protestations fell on deaf ears (if it had been Real Madrid or Barcelona fans involved there would have been an outcry). Lack of any action from our hierarchy sowed the seeds of distrust in the dressing room. The nightmare trip to Saudi Arabia severely affected the team’s morale and everything they had done on the pitch in the first half of the season went out the window. We managed only four wins.
After a Summer of discontent (in 2024) and a difficult start to the new season, Mallorca look a jaded side and have huffed and puffed to find themselves miraculously just above the relegation zone – that’s helped by the fact that there are three or four sides worse than us.
The Dani Rodriguez situation has been well documented in this column and to lose a leader on the pitch and especially in the dressing room didn’t help our cause. The present Mallorca squad is stretched to the limit and it’s a priority that we bring in some new blood. Players like defenders Mojica and Maffeo have been found wanting, but for me the problem lies in midfield.
Sergi Darder is in his third season here since coming from Espanyol for 10 million euros and was tipped to be our star player. While his talent is undeniable he has only showed glimpses of what he can do. At the age of 32 and reaching 100 games his record of four goals and 12 assists isn’t good enough. For whatever reason he can’t seem to reach the heights he showed at Malaga, Olympique Lyonnais and Espanyol.
Another midfielder who’s a mystery is 22-year-old Pablo Torre. The young Cantabrian generated a lot of excitement when he signed from Barcelona for 5 million euros in the Summer. Coach Arrasate spoke personally to the player, telling him about the project Mallorca had in mind and how he’d be a major part of it. The player seemed to have a good working relationship with the coach but for whatever reason Torre now finds himself more on the bench than off it. Since mid October he’s started just once, and against Valencia two weeks ago he never even got a kick. In a fit of pique and frustration at that game, Torre hit his hand and broke a finger ! Meanwhile, the club hopes that he will adapt to his unexpected lack of playing time and go on to reach his full potential. One would hope so after the player was persuaded by the coach to come and join Mallorca as one of its integral members for our new “plan,” only to find that he’s being left to languish on the bench. Somehow Torre must be allowed to get back to the form he showed at Barcelona and become a leader on the pitch. His value needs to be recouped.
AND FINALLY, a little girl walks into a pet shop and says to the assistant behind the counter “Have you got any wabbits ?” The assistant smiles and says “Yes, would you like a fluffy white wabbit or a cuddly brown wabbit ?” The little girl replies “I don’t think my pet python gives a thit!”