Safety Acheived; Is Europe Still Possible?
By: Jeremy | April 23rd, 2008Considering our teams recent history, any Mallorca fan has to be pleased if another La Liga season can be obtained. While we have become a fixture in La Liga for the past 10 years and really cant be considered a yo-yo club, there have been too many close calls in recent years to where relegation seemed very possible if not almost certain. It looks like that will not be an issue this year.
After pounding Murcia on the road this weekend 4-1, we are now on 44 points and basically a mid table team. 44 points should be enough to be safe as the 17th place club likely will finish with 43 points. We find ourselves 7 points from relegation, but still 5 points from seventh place and the Intertoto with teams on each side of us having the same hopes and fears we do. To feel like you are safe with 5 games left to go is a good feeling, but there is still a possibility that we could sneak into seventh place but we likely have to win 4 or 5 of the remaining five matches, which is not easy in this league.
After this past weekends game, you have to think we should be much higher and that we have the ability to run off a streak of wins that could move us up the standings. By the time Guiza scored his hat trick and Arango added his goal, Mallorca has destroyed Murcia and then they got a goal in stoppage time while Mallorca was packing its bags for the return trip to Palma. This team can look so good and it is really impressive sometimes when the offense and defense come together, even against one of the bottom two teams in the league.
With games left against Racing, Bilbao, Osasuna, an uninspired Barca, and a Zaragoza club likely playing for its La Liga life the last week of the season, there are some winnable games but even wiining 4 or 5 of these games is asking a lot. With so many teams pushing for that seventh place, it is really going to be tough to make up the points and finish ahead of all the other clubs. I think Europe while possible is not realistic at this point and focus will soon start to shift and what players are going where in the offseason. If they keep winning, then we can continue to discuss it. However, what players will be coming and going is really my focus now as the disappointment of the year is something we just have to let go. Remember we could be Valencia who could very easily end up relegated. Wouldnt that be something.
Guiza will be a huge target. I would love to keep him, but I cant see him passing on the big offers. It might even be from Real Madrid or as a replacement for Henry in Barca. He does not have to leave Spain to play for a bigger club. He is so talented and will have options we cannot afford. Jonas is gone after this year. Arango is a wildcard, and Ibagaza should stay. Beyond that, it is just something we have to watch. Mallorca is a team players like to play for so maybe we can add talent and keep most of what is here. The foundation is there to move up in the standings next year.
Acheiving safety, especially in this years La Liga, should be celebrated. Enthusiasm for the rest of the year is still up in the air, but lets see what happens. As the weeks wind down, things will become more interesting. I am glad Mallorca will be a part of La Liga next year so lets use that as a building block and try to improve the team over the summer.
Category: Mallorca Team News
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments are closed
Home 
