After a week when last Saturday there was outrage as interim England football coach Lee Carsley refused to sing a song – “about a God no-one believes in, saving a King no-one likes, at a game nobody was watching!” – Real Mallorca return to league action tomorrow, Saturday 14th, against unbeaten Villareal in the Son Moix, kick off 2pm.
Tomorrow’s opponents Villareal have made an unbeaten start to the season winning two and drawing two. Under coach Marcelino, they lie in fourth and in their squad are several players with English Premier League experience such as Eric Bailly, ex Man. Utd., Pepe, ex Arsenal and Kambwala, ex Man. Utd. Their main danger man is their 6ft 4in striker Thierno Barry who was signed from Swiss side Basel in the Summer. In the corresponding fixture last season, Mallorca beat a 10-man Villareal 4-2.
All of the international players got through their various games unscathed, although there was a worry over the fitness of striker Vedat Muriqi after he missed the second half of Kosovo’s 0-4 demolition of Cyprus in Limassol. Muriqi scored twice before colliding with the Cypriot goalkeeper, setting alarm bells ringing that he may be out for a lengthy period, like he was at the end of last year. However, he seems to have recovered and will play as normal.
New loan signing Robert Navarro scored a “worldy” for the Spanish Under 21 squad in their 0-1 win in Hungary. Japanese winger Takuma Asano played the last 10 minutes in Japan’s 0-5 gubbing of Bahrain and defender Johan Mojica played the whole game when Colombia stunned world champions Argentina 2-1. In a friendly game played in Texas, Canada and Mexico played out a poor 0-0 draw. Mexico are now coached by ex Mallorca boss Javier Aguirre and he was booked in the 56th minute for perpetual moaning about refereeing decisions. However, the highlight of the game came in the 43rd minute when the Mexican ’keeper pulled off a wonder save from Real Mallorca striker Cyle Larin – he nearly scored!!!
Mallorca have two games in the space of three days and won’t play at home again for over a month. Tomorrow’s game is followed on Tuesday (kick off 7pm) with Real Sociedad coming to town. This fixture has been brought forward because of the San Sebastian team’s participation in the Europa League.
Mallorca face two high level weeks of games and it must be a nightmare for La Liga coaches to pick starting XIs when players have fewer and fewer days of rest. I’ve never known so many teams in top flight Spanish football this early in the season having so many injury problems. The players who missed the Euros during the summer are refreshed and raring to go but those who played in Germany look jaded already.
One thing that gets me going about modern football is players who fake injury then if their play-acting doesn’t convince the referee they jump to their feet and carry on as if nothing had happened. Back in the day a dirty black bucket, water from a questionable source, and a stained yellow sponge were part and parcel of treatment for ANY football injury, faked or otherwise. A designated physio (with no particular qualifications!) would run to the aggrieved player and give him a quick rub down with – the magic sponge. A player looking like he was in his death throes would magically spring back into life after application. Every injury was always cured. I say bring the magical sponge back and watch the play acting vanish overnight. Today’s pampered players would be desperate to avoid the contents of the murky black bucket!
The Eagle has landed!
The Bulletin’s sister publication, Ultima Hora, ran a story earlier this week about “Nir” the Son Moix eagle. Everyone in a football club is necessary and essential: technicians, assistants, doctors, administrators, gardeners, marketing, maintenance and cleaning staff, plus of course us fans. Nir (Nirvana) does her job silently away from the crowds in the Son Moix, looking after one of the most prized assets – the grass. The Son Moix playing surface is immaculate and there isn’t a better one in La Liga. Every day Nir flies over the stadium and scares away any pigeons and other birds who may think of feeding on recently sown seeds. The art of falconry is alive and well at Son Moix and handler Susana (who works for the company Aguilas Mallorca) is one of those people who have an extraordinary communication and trust with these beautiful birds of prey.
Mighty Arsenal in 2001
Wednesday saw memories of 9/11 come flooding back. It also reminded me of the time we played and beat the mighty Arsenal in 2001 1-0 at the Son Moix (in our first ever venture into the Champions League) with an 11th minute Vicente Engonga penalty. The foul leading up to it saw The Gunners full back Ashley Cole sent off, Sadly the second leg didn’t go our way as we lost 3-1 at Highbury.
And finally A genie granted me one wish the other day – I told it I just wanted to be happy. Now I’m living in a cottage with six dwarves and working down a mine!!
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