Villarreal-Mallorca
By: Jeremy |
Add Comments
At various points in a season, teams play games that can bring them some attention and motivate them to for future performances if the results go their way. For Mallorca, this is one of those weeks. Although it is only the second week of the season, a game against one of Spains top teams can be a springboard to a good start of the season, especially after taking care of business against newly promoted Xerez.
Villarreal will be hoping to do this week what we did last week, which is get the must three points at home against an inferior opponent. After their draw on the road to Osasuna, a team that should be at the bottom of the standings, Villarreal, despite the road point, headed home and to the international break a little disappointed. If you are going to qualify for the Champions League you need three points any time you play Osasuna. This is especially true when you play Mallorca at home so anything less then three points will be disappointing for them.
Villarreal has plenty of talent, some known and some coming in to their own. One of those players is Santi Cazorla an up and coming Spanish midfielder. Giuseppi Rossi and Nilmar form a nice attack, but they will be without defender Marcos Senna. Of course you cant mention Villarreal without mentioning Mallorca legend Ariel Ibagaza who unfortunately now plays for the yellow.
Mallorca will have a full squad this week including the return of Josemi. With Aduriz and Tuni showing some goal scoring touch last week, combined with the return of Varela, our attack could be stronger then expected and I would expect us to push the pace even on the road in hopes that we can surprise them. Points here are not expected and not vital, but a win will get us some early La Liga attention and a draw could go a long way toward giving the team some confidence for early success. I still think it will be tough to get points here.
Prediction:
Villarreal 3-1 Mallorca
Prediction record to date: 1-0
Category: Mallorca Team News
A Win, a Familiar Face, and the next Jurado?
By: Jeremy | 2 Comments
Mallorca opened the La Liga season with a 2-0 home win over newly promoted Xerez and followed the weekends performance with some last minute transfer deals to strengthen a squad, that despite the win, clearly is lacking the overall talent to be a factor in La Liga this year.
Any win is a good win and this is especially important to Mallorca who recently has started the season badly only to recover in time to avoid relegation but not be where the talent and performance should be in the standings. It did not look good early as Xerez dominated the game and should have scored. But as luck would have it, they get a guy sent off around half time and Mallorca takes advantage. New strike force Aduriz and Tuni set each other up for goals and the end result was a 2-0 win and a happy opening day.
A team that wins or loses when the game is decided when the teams are not at equal strength cannot be analyzed to the good or bad. We can discuss the stupidity or the injustice of the sending off, but the result is typically a foregone conclusion and not indicative of where the teams would be if they played at equal strength. Either way, luck was on our side this time and we got a valuable three points against a relegation type team. These are must wins, make the final part of the season less stressful, and could lead to a nice run or some confidence to keep a bad losing streak from starting.
Despite the win, Mallorcas management and coach Manzano clearly understood the talent level is down and some help was needed. The team made two last minute signings that could make a difference. The big name is Borja Valero who returns to Palma after a year in the EPL with West Brom who were relegated. If you remember 2007-08, this guy was great for us and an up and coming talent. WB paid us 6 million for him last summer which is not a small price. He flopped in the EPL and was happy to return to Spain. He is now on a loan deal and we have the option to buy him at the end of the year. This is a great signing with no risk high reward potential. He shores up the weak midfield that was destroyed by the loss of Jurado and Arango.
Speaking of Jurado, maybe we also found his replacement in Uruguayan player Paulo Pezzolano. He is another attack minded midfielder who lead the Uruguayan league in scoring so he clearly has a knack for goal. While Uruguay is not Spain, scorers are still scorers and the potential is there and he will get plenty of time on the field. This is another deal that could be permanent if we like how he performs. He is additional depth added to our weak midfield so he will get every chance to win a spot and with his family living in Spain already, he will be extra motivated to earn a meaningful place on the team.
There is still a lot of unknown with this team and the new players are not as well heralded as what we brought in last year. However, an opening win with a little momentum could lead to a start that does not bury us early and if the talent comes together quickly then we could finish higher then expected. Right now we are still relegation material in my mind, but we have moved up. Lets see how we do against Villarreal on the road in two weeks before we get too excited. Either way, we are in a much better position then we were a week ago so lets hope the momentum continues.
Category: Mallorca Team NewsMallorca 2009/10- Who Are These Guys?
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
For those of you who care, no I have not permanently crawled back under my rock, but if you are a Mallorca fan, you may be wanting to do exactly that at some point this season. I kind of have the same look of uncertainty on my face that Manzano seems to be showing. For all the year to year uncertainties and typical offseason changes that come with being a small club, this year seems to be different.
Gone are our best players ie Moya, Arango, Jurado, Santana, Navarro etc and they have been replaced by, well, no one. Not a good thing to hear for a team that seems to struggle for its La Liga survival until the talent seems to mesh by which time a late season run to midtable and a sniff at Europe matters little.
So what happened and where are we as the season looks to open this weekend at home against Xerez? If we take a closer look at the players for this year, we will find that our returning players who used to play a secondary role are now the main players, fringe La Liga players will be asked to contribute more, and the replacements for the departed stars are not as talented and are not the under the radar talents brought in on loan from bigger clubs or bought for a reasonable price. The writing is on the wall for our new owner to see his asset sent down to Segunda B. For all the hype that came with the new owner and what he wanted to do, our biggest offseason acquisition was Bruno China(wtf?) and not someone like Riquelme who was rumored to be coming to Palma.
Here are the players and if anyone knows anything significant, please reassure the rest of us that they are talented enough to help us surivive.
Goalie
With Moya gone to Valencia, Lux and Aouate will continue to split time in goal as they did last year. With Moya injured for most of last year, they both played the majority of the time with Aouate emerging as first choice. They are equal in talent and either one is suitable. While not as good as Moya, they wont be the reason we do well or do poorly this year. The fact they are returning players and know the system only helps but dont think we have two stud goalies. They are average. As the season progresses sadly enough this tandem will seem like the most stable part of the team.
Defense
With the loss of Santana and Navarro, this is the first of our weakend areas of the team. Josemi, Ramis, Nunes, Ayoze, and Corrales all return from last year. Josemi and Ramis are solid La Liga defenders and the rest are very iffy. While we have added Ruben from Celta Vigo and also Mattioni from Gremio in Brazil, it has to be questioned whether either of these guys are going to help improve an area that could not afford to lose what we did. They will face a lot of pressure this year and I dont have the confidence they will be up for the overall challenge.
Midfield
Talk about a strength being turned into a weakness. Gone are Arango who went into exile in Germany and our best player, Jurado, although only on loan from Atletico last year, who returned to his team. Varela, Mario, Chori Castro, and Marti return. Our big signing for the summer, Bruno China from Leixoes in Portugal, certainly helps as he providers leadership and experience, but he is not even close to the level or Arango and Jurado. Varela, Castro, Marti, and China is a solid group but below average for La Liga and not better then what we had last year. Former Mallorca man Borja Valero wants to come back after playing in the EPL last year with now relegated West Brom and it would be great if we can get him back. Our midfield is a huge weakness. Allowing so much talent to leave in the midfield and not replacing them will be our downfall. We need to improve this part of the team a great deal.
Forwards
This is probably the strength of the team as Webo, Keita and Aduriz return. Despite its strength, it underperformed last year and will need a huge increase in goal scoring to keep the team in La Liga for next year. Aduriz is the best striker and has moments of brilliance. He can lead this team but with the midfield in shambles, who will provide him service? He is going to get frustrated trying to do too much alone and will look for a transfer in the winter. Cameroonian Webo is someone we have been trying to get rid of but now seems to be a key to our success. He can score but is again inconsistent. Look for him to partner Aduriz upfront and lets hope they mesh and quickly. The fact they know each other and both are returning players only helps, but its still an iffy situation. I am not sure of the status of Keita as he had suspension issues because of his contract, but assume he is ready to go. This is a guy who can score frequently in meaningless matches or in garbage time but we need to see what he can do in prime time so expect more from him this year. With favorite Trejo on loan to Elche in Segunda B, that would seem to indicate the team is happy with its forward depth which includes Tuni and Victor. Trejo was great for us early last year until he got hurt. He should be with us, but if it looks like he wont play, then I guess that means we have some talent up front and he needs to get first team football somewhere. This is the part of the team that will carry us but is by no means a sure thing.
Gaffer
Manzano comes back for another year after being looked at again by some big clubs after the strong finish last year. He has been quite silent this offseason. I know he has been actively involved in trying to bring in some new talent, but if Bruno China was the best he could do, either his hands are tied by management, or Mallorca is not an attractive place to play to many players who cant quite play for European quality teams. Manzano is the right coach and if we keep him we have a chance to survive. He will make the most out of the talent we have but cant work miracles. His attitude and comments must be followed very carefully as he will tell us where we are headed.
Ownership
After much back and forth and uncertainty, spanish computer genius Carlos Gonzalez bought the club for a song. He said all the enthusiastic things new owners always say, but failed to deliver on his promises of new players. Maybe he is adjusting and we will do well in the winter, or maybe he realizes there is so much debt that he is not going to spend any more money. I am really surprised Aduriz was not sold. Whether its him or someone, if the team is not able to create a financial mindset that allows it to buy some players, the team will drop down. Its like buying a Formula one team and trying to put inferior engines in the car thinking you can still compete. If you cant spend the money, then dont get involved. The fans deserve a competitive team and this year we may not get one.
We do have some good youngsters in Nsue and Tejara but these guys need to emerge. Nsue should have made our club by now considering the hype he has received for so long and Tejara was allowed to leave by Chelsea and impressed with the B team last spring. We need these guys to find first team football for us and quick.
Luckilly we open at home against against Xerez so we have a chance to pick up a quick three points. If we lose early in the season to weaker La Liga teams we could get buried quickly so this is a must win. The opening match excitement at home will help a lot and while I dont know anything about Xerez, I think we can get a quick win this weekend. However, overall this is going to be a long season and we are favorites for relegation so we need to pay close attention to what is going on. For now lets enjoy the opening weekend in Palma in what will no doubt be a festive atmosphere.
Prediction
Mallorca 3-2 Xerez
Category: Mallorca Team NewsTime to Put Up or Shut Up
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
Anytime you get a new owner, it seems like there are immediate statements of ambition about how the club is going to get better players or fight for a European position, but talk is cheap. Its time to act and time is of the essence in Mallorca.
Carlos Gonzalez has been confirmed as the new majority shareholder and is already talking like he is going to remake the club and bring in the players Manzano needs not only to survive in LaLiga but to qualify for Europe.
The offseason has been tough for everyone. The team was unable to get involved in the transfer market as there seems to be cash flow problems and until a new owner was found, we had to sit around and watch Moya get sold to Valencia, Arango destroy his careers still remaining potential by leaving for Germany, Jurado and Santana return to Atletico, and Navarro leave as well to also return to Valencia. We even sent young Callejon to Albacete. Is he that bad already or do we still have that much returning talent despite all the losses. These were huge players for us and losing them with no replacements have to make us favorites for the drop.
While it may not seem like a big deal now, we did so something smart which is buy the full rights to Sergio Tejara from Chelsea. He played for Mallorca B last spring and impressed and we managed to get a distracted Chelsea to sell him back to us for 500k.
If Gonzalez’s immediate statements about the kind of players we will bring in are any indication of the clubs future, it might be a mess even if the intentions look good for shock media value. Luis Figo? I am a big fan of his, but come on, he is retired and past his better days. He might sell some seats, but not someone I would pay big money for. Riquelme? Good luck and I would love to see him come back to Spain, but if he leaves home to return to Spain does he come to Mallorca? That will be tough. He would be a difference maker though. Even the above workout kit he is wearing looks like it could be from Mallorca so maybe it is an omen. Signing him would get us big time attention in Spain.
Either way some players need to be brought in to replace what we lost and time is running out. Who is still out there I dont know, but if the money is there to spend, I would be looking to Real Madrid and their talented cast offs. Maybe Schneider is too good for us, but if we are going to get real talent with some real money, we need to be looking at the bigger clubs and their excess talent. This years Jurado is out there somewhere.
If the team can be purchased for 5-7 million, I am guessing there is obviously a huge amount of debt that Gonzalez and his conglomerate have taken over. Computer guys always scare me when they get into other businesses. Their technology and talent can make money in their industry and they think money will be made just as easy and flow just as freely in the sports world. This is not always the case and these guys often dont have the business acumen to stomach the debt or create the positive cashflow that comes with such a tempermental product. Hopefully this guy proves us all wrong and brings some stability.
While preseason does not mean a whole lot, our weaknesses are obvious as we just lost 3-1 to Wolfsburg in Germany. We need some players. If some talent is not brought in soon, Gonzalez may find his investment was not a worthy one as Serie B will be staring us directly in the face all year.
Get it going Gonzalez and show us you have a plan and that you just dont have a hard on for players who, while are or were once great players, have no real interest in coming to our team.
Category: Mallorca Team NewsWho are Carlos Gonzalez and Sergio Tejara
By: Jeremy | 2 Comments
If reports are to be believed, Mallorca has been sold for about 7 million US to a group headed by Carlos Gonzalez, one of the owners of Grupo Ecco, a Spanish based Computer Technology firm in Madrid and Barcelona. Before we get too excited, the deal is not expected to be finalized for another week. If you remember the Plumber from England who was going to buy the club only to have the deal fall through, it should be a reminder that as Yogi Berra said “it aint over till its over” so we still need to wait.
I dont know anything about computers and this outfit run by Gonzalez but it reminds me of this penny stock I bought big in from some computer technology company that was going blow up in the chinese market only to crash causing me to lose my ass. My point is that a lot can happen so dont count the deal done yet although it looks pretty promising. It also makes me think of El Grupo, a great band lead by Steve Lukather. I dont recommend the stock but I do recommend the band. But I digress….
Gonzalez seems to be ambitious if not misinformed thinking we can make the Europa league next year since we finished 9th last year. Its great that he is positive but either he is completely unaware of what we have lost or hopefully he has some real solid transfer targets coming in soon. Lets hope it is the latter because as things stand now, I think we would be predicted to be relegated. A lot has to happen quickly for us to get back to the level we finished last year and Europa is pushing it. However dont put it past the club to come together as they always seem to do. We just need to know who will be wearing the colors.
While ownership is being sorted out, another deal that may quietly go through that could have just as big an impact is the return of Sergio Tejara to Mallorca on a permanent basis. This is a 19 yr old who Chelsea owns and loaned to us in the Spring. Manzano loves him and he really impressed with the B team on his brief loan spell and we are about ready to sign him permanently back to Mallorca. This would be a real coup and this kid could really emerge for our team. Occasionally a big club that tries to sign every young kid with potential at age 16 will let one go back before he can emerge simply because they have too many players and they cant keep everyone. Tejara could be one that Chelsea regrets letting return to Spain so lets hope we can sign him before someone else shows interest. It is these signings that make a difference for a small club so keep an eye out for this player.
With the season fast approaching, hopefully we are back on track to improving the club from a management and player perspective even if it looks like we will have a new set of heroes to root for again. Such is the life of a Mallorca fan.
Category: Mallorca Team NewsNo News is Bad News
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
If you are like me, you have been patiently waiting the past few weeks to see if our ownership situation would be stabalized. The rumor, and its always a rumor, that Lorenzo Ferrer had all but purchased the club was a pinch of good news that we so desperately needed. This is a guy who would do what would need to be done to get this team back on track. As it stands, no confirmation has been made that the club has been sold to his group and time continues to pass in the transfer window with no real additions being made, a couple of key losses, and a player getting suspended for four months for something that had nothing to do with our club.
I know Mallorca fans are used to bringing in new talent on almost a yearly basis and surviving, often barely, to play another year in La Liga. Occasionally, as in the past two years especially, we find some hidden talent on a lucky deal and we often finish strong and if the season would be extended five weeks, we could be fighting for Europe. Thats all fine and dandy, but when you have to make up for a slow start because players are still getting acclamated, survival is really the goal.
09-10 might be a little different however. For all the changes the past few years, it seemed like we had one or two players that were fixtures in the squad and with them around, we felt like we had a good talent base. When Sam Etoo was on the club, we felt like we could win on any given week. When he left Arango and Moya seemed to take over as the mainstays. With both of them gone this offseason, and no real targets to take their place, the talent level is thin for a LaLiga team. Combine that with ownership issues probably not putting us in line for any top talent, we are in real trouble as pre season fixtures are already being scheduled.
The team needs to get the new owner in place soon. While I am aware that it takes time to find the right group and million dollar deals do not happen overnight, you cannot spend a summer watching your best players walk away, looking at others that might soon follow, and have no replacements lined up. If we continue at this pace, the summer window will close and we will get the scrap heap of last minute guys who dont want to play in the first division. This always scares me and while we have done well the past couple of years, the slow starts killed us.
Without any talent, a slow start next year seals our doom so I am hoping we get things straight and get into the transfer game quickly.
Category: Mallorca Team NewsMallorca Stimulus Package
By: Jeremy | 4 Comments
With new owner Mateo Alemany basically buying the club because he wants to sell it, its hardly an ideal situation in Palma now and unless a buyer is found soon, we will be the clear favorites to be relegated next year as assets are being sold quickly to raise funds that no one can seem to find. Maybe we need to call the socialist Barack Obama and get him to buy the club as he would not likely need much transition into learning how to run it as the club is currently in free fall with money taken from the sale of players only to disappear with no benefit. Right up his alley.
The latest sale is Mallorca native and longstanding stud goalie, Miguel Moya, to Valencia. What did we get, 6 million? I know, to pay debts. With Arango gone, Jurado returning to Atletico, and Aduriz to be sold to pay for the transfer fee from when we bought him because we couldnt pay for him after selling off even bigger assets during last summers 2008 binge and purge tour, things are not looking good even if we end up with a charismatic owner who cant run the club properly. I know this does not make sense but I know you understand it.
At some point, someone needs to be held accountable. We are a team that has played more then 10 years in a row in La Liga and are not a yo yo club. We have finished in the top half the table the past two years and participated in the UEFA Cup and Champions League this decade. Part of this success includes some relatively huge profits from the sale of players after they have developed under our watch including Eto’o and Guiza to name a few. So where is the money from the sale of these players? Someone please explain to me how a small club can sell players like they did last summer, reinvest a lot less in new players for the 08-09 season, which they cant pay for, and a year later, after a decent campaign, ends up smothered in debt.
I understand why no one would want to buy a soccer team if its fianances are in shambles or if it is simply not a viable business. But why is it this way? Who is running this team? So when does the sale of players clear all the debt? What do we need to do to keep from incurring more debt?
We sold our two biggest assets with little fanfare this week and the sale does not seem to eliminate debt worries. Just like the USAs stimulous package, throwing money at a problem while destroying assets only keeps the problem the same and eventually the assets are gone or worthless and the problem still exists.
We are in crisis here folks. At some point we will need an owner who not only knows how to run a business but who has the passion for it. Once Aduriz is sold, and assuming no money for new players, because if the club is not sold there will be no money, the club might as well go into administration. How can you piss away a consistent LaLiga reputation so easily.
The fan base has been pretty solid over the years so management should know what it has to work with. How we can survive and occasionally thrive in LaLiga for the past ten years and the past two years, we have now suffered serious economic problems despite having valuable assets sold in consecutive summers?
We need to do something and something soon. This selling assets stimulous package does not work.
Category: Mallorca Team NewsArango learns Nothing from Guiza; Mallorca suffers huge loss
By: Jeremy | Add Comments
I am all for a player bettering his career. When he is clearly talented and performs in a way that allows him to cash in or move to a bigger club, I cant complain. This is certainly an expected situation when it comes to Mallorca players and fans suffer every year.
We are constantly having to reshuffle our lineup and take on players that are not quite ready for prime time with a bigger club. This is a risky proposition when it comes to trying to not only survive in LaLiga, but also when trying to become a challenger for the second tier of European football. Occasionally we find a gem and they seem to show their stuff playing for our local club. Between Guiza, Jurado et al, there have been some great players come through our team in the past few years. If we could have kept them, we would have made Europe.
One of the strongest players flying under the radar in world football is Juan Arango, the Venezuelan play maker who has given us five good seasons after we signed him before he really emerged. As he improved and showed how important he is to our run and gun style of play, it was expected that he would move to a bigger club for a nice sum and get to show what he can do on a big stage. After last summers big sell off, I was surprised he returned. Mallorca for life right? Not so.
Arango has finally left us, but not for a bigger Spanish club or even a mid table EPL or Serie A side. He was sold to Borrussia Mochengladbach in Germany for somewhere between 3.5 and 4 mil. Was that all he could bring? Was that the best club he could go to? Quite frankly I am shocked. I cant believe one of those mid table EPL clubs did not grab him, especially for that price.
Now I dont claim to know a lot about German football, but unless you play for Bayern Munich or maybe Stuttgart, how good are you? I know this new club he is going to finished well last year and has a good history, but this isnt the 70s or 80s anymore. The good teams are in Spain, Italy, and England. Unless its Bayern, to go to Germany is a mistake in my opinion. If he thought he was under the radar in Mallorca, he is still under it now.
As you fans may recall, Dani Guiza took the big bucks in Turkey after his Pichichi year in 07-08 for us. While he resurrected his career on the island, I didnt expect him to stay. I figured he would go to a big Spanish club. What was he afraid of? After a bad year in Turkey, he now wants to return to Spain. With his performance, albeit limited, for the national team, he has shown he is a dominant goal scorer and a Spanish club with money should grab him. Depor? Valencia? However, he lost a year in his career and maybe some money too by not going to a big Spanish, Italian, or English club. I guess Arango is following his play. Stupid for the player and stupid for our club.
Mallorca just lost the glue to its team. This is a huge loss on the field and off it because of the little money we got for him. If he had another year left, I would have rather him leave on a free transfer next summer then take the little money we got for him. Arango stalled his career by the move as well. Lunacy all around.
Now we must replace our best player and with the money we got, we will be unable to do so. With Jurado returning to Atletico, we are in real trouble. We need to make some quality signings and fast. I know Manzano is pulling the strings, but without cash, he has nothing to pull. We could soon lose him.
A big thanks to Juan for all he has done for the club, but like Guiza, he is taking a step back in his career. We need to move forward and get some players. I am holding my breath because if nothing is done, we will be a bottom level club next year.
A bad day in Mallorca for the club and another prized player.
Category: Mallorca Team NewsWelcome to Summer in Mallorca 2009
By: Jeremy | 8 Comments
The season is over and Mallorca managed to harness its talent and move away from what seemed like certain relegation after the first half of the season to a final 9th place position. As in 2008, the new players mixed well with the returning players to finish strong just on the outside of Europe. While the 2009 team was not as strong as 2008, we are again facing a mass exodus of players and will once again be hoping that the initially less valued replacements managed to come through and not only avoid relegation but have us playing meaningful games for a top half of the table position come spring.
Watching teams like Madrid trying to dump players like yesterdays garbage, who would otherwise be stars and real draws on our team, makes it frustrating to be a fan of a smaller team. We cant afford the big name players and are reliant upon mid level finds and surplus loan players from big teams to create a unit that has to mesh quickly or be forced to play top level football in the spring just to avoid relegation.
With this pattern of building a new team yearly, we occasionally find a group that comes together to be great. 2008s team was one of my all time favorites yet last summer we watched Guiza and Ibagaza amongst others head to bigger clubs or clubs who could pay them more money when if everyone had stayed, we would have been even better this year. Now its summer 2009 and the expectation is that clubs will raid us for what few stars we have left.
Lets look at where things are headed in the not so distant future…
Management/Ownership
After the failure to sell the club to the Brit last year, ownership is in disarray and money is tight. We must sell players to pay debts and there is no reason we will be able to purchase some good players for next year with the money we make from selling. For all the money we got last summer from the sale of players, there are still financial problems and money owed to other clubs for purchases we did make. Someone needs to come in and save this club.
Manzano however has weathered the storm and is one of the top managers in Spain. There was talk about him moving on to Villarreal but one reason he stays is he has quite a bit of say in the running of the club. He gets what he wants and that is a powerful reason to stay. He will be in demand over the summer and hopefully we can keep him, but if we lose too many players, he will bail as well as he wants a winner.
Goalie
We have three good goalies and one or two will be sold to bring in some cash to pay debts or spend in other areas. Moya is still around and is first choice goalkeeper but he could bring the most money. If he is willing to accept a back up role, he might end up in Barca but its likely he wants a fresh start and first team football. He will likely be gone before the summer is over.
Lux and Aaoute played equally last year after Moya got hurt and both are solid goalies. If we dont keep Moya, it would not be worth the extra money for the minor improvement a new goalie may bring. One of these two will be our main netminder next year.
Defense
With stalwarts Josemi, Navarro, Varela, and Nunes playing most of the time last year, the team still managed to give up way too many goals. That is the price we pay for instability in goal and a wide open style of football. Ramis and Corralles are good players and provide depth and Ramis is probably as big a target as anyone and he will get some looks from other clubs. Scaloni may return to Italy. While the back is an area that needs to be improved, there are not any players that warrant a transfer target so this group should return mostly intact next year while we focus on other areas of the team
Midfield
Our two best players are likely to be gone shortly and the midfield, an obvious strength last year, will soon be in shambles needing immediate reinforcements. Arango has spent many quiet years for us and many feel he should bring his talent to a bigger stage. Ultimately he is a great fit here and his style fits the teams style. The fact he may head to Germany to play is a shame as he wont get better football and certainly wont get any more publicity. If the cant go to Italy or the Premier League, he would basically lose himself like Guiza has in Turkey.
Jurado is expected to return to Atletico although we need to try and purchase him outright. Just 21, he raised his game to where he is wanted back to help with their European ambitions. He is the latest player we get who does great only to immediately have to leave.
Cleber Santana, also on loan from Atletico, wants to stay in Mallorca, but he could also leave and return home. That will be our three top midfielders lost and for nothing. We cannot survive this hit and this situation needs constant attention.
With an aging Marti on his way out and not relevant to our future, players like Chori Castro need to continue to improve and we must see if Callejon can follow Jurados career path and make a name for himself rather then not playing for the first team. Suarez should return as well, but after the midfield raid on our team we will soon see, we must bring back top players or we will be relegation fodder next year.
Forwards
For all the negativity with the midfield, the forwards are no better. We replaced Guiza with Aduriz and despite all that extra money, we still have not fully paid Athletic for the transfer fee. Now it looks like he may be sold, possibly to Greece, so we can pay a debt. I cant see him playing in Greece and he is a player we must keep if we are to challenge for a top half position next year.
Our other strikers cannot be counted on so if we lose Aduriz, we will really need to spend some money on another one which poses the question, why not just keep Aduriz?
Webo played in 30 games but he was a failure. New transfer Keita showed some goal scoring prowess but Manzano does not see him as a legit La Liga striker so he could go at any time. Keita was given a chance as well, but the team seems to have soured on him despite the relatively limited amount of play time. Trejo is still around because his injuries limited him to 9 games and he barely had a chance to show his worth. If we can get him healthy then he can be the player that is the object of many EPL clubs desire.
Ultimately our lack of goal scoring killed us in the first half of the season. While it improved over time, we cannot lose Aduriz. If he goes, it is a sign that we will be playing with inferior talent next year.
Ultimately this team must do what has seemingly done in past years. They sell their players after they peform well and bring in new ones who are talented yet less proven hoping they can become what was just sold. This is a good way to build a talented team on the cheap, but it is a recipe for disaster when it is done year to year. You cant assume that the talent you lose will be replaced by similar talent.
This summer is just the latest time we sit with our hands behind our back while fan favorites leave the team knowing we can do nothing hoping that the new players come in and are just as good. 2009 was a good example of managment being aware of what needed to be done to stay safe and they will have their work cut out for them next year.
Category: Mallorca Team NewsMallorca-Villarreal
By: Jeremy | 2 Comments
First off a big congratulations to Barcelona for winning the Champions League. Even when I was ripping them in my previews I stated they would win the Champions League. No real surprise. The speed and athleticism of Barca is just so much better then Manchester Uniteds. Barca plays to win. Man U plays not to lose.
That being said, we still have one final weekend of games in LaLiga. Mallorca will finish 9th in the table no matter the results so there is truly nothing to play for in the final game. Unlike beating Barca or going to Madrid for a game in the Bernabeu, a home game against Villarreal, with nothing at all to play for, is a lot different. The overall passion and effort wont be there like it would be in games that mean something or games in any circumstances against the big two clubs. I am sure Manzano will trot out a mix of players to give some experience where needed, but it will be more of a festive match to again celebrate survival, which in itself should not be something to celebrate as it should be expected.
Villarreal still has something to play for however. A win against Mallorca and a loss by Atletico will see them jump back into the Champions League final spot. For all the additions they made this year, including our own Ibagaza, it will be disappointing to them if they dont make the top four. To expect Atletico to lose at home to Almeria, who has nothing to play for, is tough so it looks like Villarreal will be playing second tier european football next year.
While Mallorca fans can be happy that we have beaten the top two teams in LaLiga the past two weeks, fans need to get away from that as those games were meaningless. We need to get ready for the offeason and focus must immediately begin on keeping players and adding some talent rather then do a complete overhaul hoping it can produce a european birth. The talent on this years team is arguably top 6-8, but with it being a basically new team, a ninth place finish was about the best we could hope for and give the team credit for getting together and solidifying their position sooner rather then later. At some point we have to improve and stabilize the club as we seem to be stuck as a mid tier LaLiga team, which might be fine to some, but not to me. There is no reason why we cant challenge for a top six position every year.
While we can discuss the necessity for stability before improvement in the offseason, we have this one final game to play. While its always good to play spoiler, I think we end up giving this game away.
No matter the result, lets welcome our boy Ibagaza back to Palma and salute him for what he has done for our club in past years.
Prediction
Mallorca 1-3 Villarreal
Category: Mallorca Team News
Home 
