After a week with Christmas just around the corner, the makers of Cluedo are now doing a swingers edition – everyone did it, in all the rooms! – Real Mallorca face another of these “relegation six pointers” tomorrow (Saturday 29th) at 14:00 in Son Moix. What makes this game so important is that our opponents Osasuna (who lie in 17th place in La Liga, just one behind the Palma side) will be keen not to let Mallorca pull away from the relegation zone leaving them in a precarious position.
There’s no doubt the Mallorca team have improved but they still can’t escape the relegation zone which makes tomorrow’s game in footballing terms “a true final.” It’s that time of year when Mallorca should be accumulating points as, including tomorrow’s game, we face Osasuna, Oviedo, Elche and Valencia in the remaining few weeks of 2025. Another fixture squeezed in next Tuesday night (19:00 hrs) is a second round Copa del Rey match away in Soria against fourth division Numancia.
Tomorrow’s opponents Osasuna will be made especially welcome (off the pitch!) by our coach Jagoba Arrasate, who spent six years in charge at Es Sadar in Pamplona. Osasuna have the worst away record in La Liga so far this season, with only one point in seven away games. Last February in Palma a goal by Muriqi in the 82nd minute looked to be enough to get us over the line, but with added-on time Osasuna equalised in the 95th minute.
Football is a results business but last Saturday night away at Villareal the 2-1 defeat was one thing and the performance (especially in the first half) was another. At long last on the road against a top quality Champions League side we put up a fight which withstood a lot of pressure and at times put Villareal “under the cosh.” Playing like we did last weekend means us Mallorquinistas have reason to be optimistic.
So why the difference? For the first time under Arrasate, we started with youngsters Jan Virgili, Pablo Torre and Mateu Joseph. The first is 19 years old and the other two are 22. Mallorca’s excellent first half was one of the best performances of the season and most of the credit goes to the appearance of these young prospects. We needed a bit of youth and freshness and these three last Saturday gave it to us in spades.
Virgili gives something Mallorca have been crying out for, a left winger who’s given the team a serious attacking threat down the flanks with his daring close dribbling skills. Although he hasn’t hit the target in La Liga as yet, his goal scoring feats for the Spanish Under 21 team means it’s only a matter of time before he gets on the scoresheet.
Pablo Torre has been a bit hit and miss over the past few games but last Saturday he filled the position normally taken by Sergi Darder and the young Cantabrian didn’t disappoint. If he can find consistency and fulfil the promise he showed at Barcelona, all the better. Surely he should start the game tomorrow?
Leeds United loanee Mateo Joseph is a real nuisance to opposing defences, he never stops pressing and challenging (one of the things Cyle Larin didn’t do). Whether he’s pressing or challenging, he provides speed and attacking depth. He’s also the perfect partner to Muriqi who has been starved of a striking partner for a long, long time.
Another player who’s also making all the difference for Mallorca at the moment is Samu Costa. The 24-year-old Portuguese player is everywhere, he gives and receives, and works his socks off with his tireless displays, and is even scoring goals. The only downside of his displays are his temperament issues, especially to referees. He must learn not to talk back to officials – especially the Spanish ones!
Spanish sports paper Marca recently published an article detailing the capacity of La Liga stadiums’ average attendances and the percentage of spectators who actually attend matches compared to the number of seats. Real Mallorca statistics are not good. Only average of 17,894 attend games in Son Moix despite the new fantastic stadium providing all the amenities expected of a top league club in the 21st century.
Son Moix now takes 26,020 and has around 23,000 “socios” which means that the average occupancy rate is a paltry 68.8%. Granted we’re not a team of “Galacticos” but the football on show isn’t bad, and you can’t beat a live game. I’ve met UK ex pats football fans who live on the island (some for quite some time) and who hardly ever set foot in Son Moix because they support some outfit in the UK.
PS Before tomorrow’s game, starting at 12 noon, there’s to be a party atmosphere in the fans zone outside the Mallorca Sports Bar. On the menu will be 2 for 1 beers and a free paella plus DJs playing music ! What’s not to like?
AND FINALLY, a couple were doing some early Christmas shopping. The shopping centre was packed and as the wife walked around she was surprised to discover that her husband was nowhere to be seen. She was upset because they had a lot to do, so she phoned him to ask where he was.
In a quiet voice he said “Do you remember the jewellers we went in a few years ago where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we couldn’t afford and I told you I would buy it for you one day?” The wife was choked up and started to cry with emotion at the thought that he’d remembered that promise, and answered “Yes, darling, I do remember that shop.” “Good,” he replied, “I’m in the pub next door!”
