After a week when a Glasgow woman wasn’t happy after her boyfriend told her he’d booked a table for Valentine’s night – but she’d have to bring her own cue! – Real Mallorca play at home to fifth-placed Real Betis on Sunday night (kick off in Son Moix 9pm) in what will be match 24 of La Liga EA Sports. Son Moix has become a bit of a fortress this season after only Barcelona and Girona have won there. Quite a contrast to our away form where we’ve only won once, away at Sevilla in October. We’ve picked up 19 of the 24 points available at home. On Sunday night we have the chance to put together three consecutive home wins, something we haven’t managed since the end of season 2022/23.
However, we are the third worst team in La Liga for conceding goals (37) plus we haven’t kept a clean sheet for eight games. Without a doubt that’s one of our biggest weaknesses and has to be rectified as these figures don’t auger well for a relegation fight.
On that subject, if we continue our 1.6 goals conceded per game until the end of this season we would have exceeded the 60 goal mark and that usually means direct relegation to the Second Division! Mallorca have 15 games left in La Liga and there are 10 teams (half of the First Division) fighting to stay away from the bottom three.
Getting points from Real Betis on Sunday is crucial. They’re in fifth place and hoping to get a Champions League spot next season. They come to Palma off a revenge 0-1 win against At. Madrid last weekend (their first home defeat of the season) with a goal from Man. Utd. reject Antony Days before they were hammered 0-5 by “Atleti” in the Copa del Rey quarter finals.
One of their main protagonists (beside Antony) is ex Mallorca striker Colombian Cucho Hernandez. Recent meetings between Mallorca and Betis have tended to favour the Andalusian side, with seven victories. However, if we draw on Sunday it will be seen as worth its weight in gold.
Besides Vedat Muriqi, who appears to be carrying the team with his 15 goals, his efforts are masking the lack of quality in our so-called attacking options. Our next highest scorer is midfielder Samu Costa. Last Summer no one was convinced that he would stay for another season.
Strange offers from the Premier and Saudi Arabian leagues were mentioned in despatches but for whatever reason he stayed and now without a doubt is one of the team’s most important players. His work rate behind the scenes has been exceptional these past few months and his playing statistics place him among the top players in his position in La Liga. His four goals so far (the best in his career) have shown his gladiatorial prowess and many clubs are monitoring the rest of his season at Real Mallorca. The club’s hierarchy has stated that his minimum transfer fee is 20 million euros. That amount would go a long way to bringing in two or three new faces during the Summer.
As expected, the performances down our left flank from 20-year-old Jan Virgili are beginning to turn the heads of other clubs. The Mallorca winger is one of the standout names of the season in La Liga. His performance against Barcelona defender Jules Kounde saw the seasoned French international slipping and sliding all over the Camp Nou. Virgili has already made the leap to the Spanish Under-21 team and has mastered the art of dribbling like no other, a skill you don’t see too much of these days.
The player’s meteoric rise up the footballing ranks is real “Billy’s Boots” stuff (if in doubt, google it!). If, as seems possible, Virgili leaves in the Summer to return to Barcelona, the deal would entail the Catalan giants paying the agreed amount and reclaiming him without the player or Mallorca objecting – it’s a right of first refusal. Virgili feels comfortable and valued here but his heart is set on a return to Barcelona some time soon. Also I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he gets a call up to Spain’s World Cup squad in the Summer.
RAYO’S GROUND NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE
Four hours before kick-off last Saturday, the game between Rayo Vallecano and Oviedo was called off; a decision that came less than 24 hours after Rayo’s players and staff emitted a statement complaining of unfit working conditions. During the week at Estadio Vallecas ground staff had tried to lay new turf on the pitch. The newly laid grass failed to take root because of heavy rain. Rayo’s opponents Oviedo had arrived in Madrid along with their supporters the night before the game was called off.
Oviedo feel hard done by and their president is seeking his club to be awarded the three points rather than the game played at a later date. It remains to be seen if the pitch will be ready for Sunday’s game against Atletico Madrid or transferred to Leganes’s ground Butarque where ex Mallorca player Dani Rodriguez is now.
AND FINALLY, with ex Mallorca striking “flop” Cyle Larin now doing the business at Southampton, I’m indebted to Sunderland fan John “Mackem” Ballard for the following – “I hear a lot of people in the South of England near Southampton are suffering from sore throats and coughing – it’s called LARINgitis!!”