From absolute pessimism to moderate optimism was how one RCD Mallorca season ticket holder described to me the scenario the club faces over the next week as they cling on for dear life to their La Liga existence, with the 2021/22 season drawing to an exciting climax.
Last Wednesday night a 97th “worldy” save from our (back in favour) 36-year-old Malaga-born goalkeeper Manolo Reina secured a vital point as they held third-placed Sevilla to a hotly contested 0-0 stalemate. That vital point meant the Palma side are very much mathematically alive with another heart-stopping “must win” game on Sunday in Son Moix at the rearranged kick-off time of 7:30pm against Rayo Vallecano, who will be without three of their best players. It’s our last home game in what has been a troubled campaign.
Mallorca are two points behind fourth-bottom Cadiz and can’t be saved from relegation if we lose or draw on Sunday. If as expected we beat Rayo, we’d be on 36 points with one game away at Osasuna left to play the following Sunday at 6:30pm (time subject to change).
Cadiz are at home to Real Madrid who have already wrapped up the La Liga title. Under normal circumstances Real Madrid would start as clear favourites, however Cadiz will be fighting for their lives and Real will be fully focused on the upcoming Champions League final in Paris on the 28th. Will Ancelotti pick a team of substitutes or will he pick his strongest side in a game of no importance to the league champions ? Cadiz will then go on to play second-bottom Alaves next weekend. They in turn face relegated Levante on Sunday so it couldn’t be any tighter at the bottom.
At the end of the season that brilliant save from Reina last Wednesday could be a turning point in our salvation campaign. Both our next two opponents, Rayo and Osasuna, have finished comfortably in mid table and their thoughts will be on beaches, flip flops and budgie smugglers.
So once again the Son Moix will be close to a full house this weekend and surely we won’t play as badly as we did last Saturday, losing 2-6 to Granada. One thing is for sure, I won’t have any fingernails left to nibble on – they haven’t had time to grow back after they took a severe chewing at the Granada debacle.
For RCD Mallorca where there’s life there’s hope with two frantic weeks on the agenda in the fight for survival. Six of our players, Maffeo, Valjent, Baba, Kubo, Prats and Angel, are all on four yellow cards. One more discrepancy against Rayo and some of them may miss next week’s finale.
With two games left, ex Mallorca manager Vicente Moreno was sacked at Espanyol on Thursday. For whatever reason, he left Real Mallorca under a cloud, although he’ll go down in history as being the only Mallorca coach to have achieved two consecutive promotions in his first two years.
PS North Korea president Kim Jong Un finally admitted that Covid has reached North Korea. People were seen panic buying, one person was even reported to have bought five slices of bread instead of the usual two.
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