I Am Jose-Chapter 127 - : An Important Match

A week later, in the 24th round of the league, José started wondering if he had a knack for jinxing things.

At home, Racing Santander managed to take a big bite out of Mallorca. This was a team that had performed terribly in the first half of the season but was now making a comeback. Before their shocking 4-0 victory over Barcelona, they had lost five consecutive matches. Even in the last round, they only suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid. This showed that, under the pressure of relegation, they were starting to fight back.

In this match, they played exceptionally well. Despite an early goal from Motta, Santander managed to turn things around in the second half with goals from Massoni and Colsa, snatching all three points. This loss pushed Mallorca back to fifth place.

With this victory, Santander remained 19th in the league but was now just three points away from climbing out of the relegation zone. The relegation battle this season closely resembled last year's—two-thirds of the league had been played, and the point gap between the bottom-ranked team and the 11th place was just ten points. Once again, it seemed like the fight for survival would last until the very end. Any team that fell behind at this stage risked falling into an abyss.

The only comforting thought for Mallorca fans was that their team wasn't battling relegation.

José was frustrated after this defeat. They were now three points behind Barcelona and four points behind Valencia. The progress they had worked so hard for vanished in an instant. Anyone would find that hard to accept.

But there was a silver lining—every time Mallorca suffered a loss, an exciting challenge seemed to be waiting just around the corner.

Round 25: A Home Match Against Deportivo La Coruña!

The next few rounds would be the most crucial period of the season for Mallorca.

Round 25: Home against Deportivo La Coruña.

Round 26: Away against Barcelona.

Round 27: Home against Real Madrid.

Facing three teams ranked above them in succession was a huge test for Mallorca, but it was also a great opportunity.

Since José took over, Mallorca had been in a cycle of peaks and valleys—soaring to success, hitting a slump, and then climbing back up. They had just suffered a loss, meaning their luck was about to turn. If the players hit top form, José even dared to dream of solidifying a top-three spot after these three matches!

The first step: Beating Deportivo at home!

Deportivo was going through a rough patch. Back-to-back matches against Barcelona and Real Madrid had drained them. They also had the Champions League to worry about. Even though they managed a thrilling 3-2 win over Barcelona and a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid, these matches took a toll on their players.

One pattern in La Liga this season was that top teams frequently had to face tough opponents back-to-back. Valencia had just played against four of the top five teams. Deportivo was now in a similar situation, and Mallorca was about to enter their own challenging stretch. Even Real Madrid had faced both Deportivo and Barcelona in quick succession. These brutal schedules were a nightmare for any team.

However, the good news for Mallorca was that this was just the beginning of their difficult stretch, and they were in peak condition. Deportivo, on the other hand, had already been through the grind and was on the brink of exhaustion.

Against Barcelona, Deportivo only secured the win in the 90th minute thanks to a goal from Víctor. Against Real Madrid, it was a late goal from Tristán in the 80th minute that saved them. While these last-minute heroics were impressive, they also left the team physically and mentally drained—much like an NBA team relying on game-winning buzzer-beaters match after match.

To make matters worse for Deportivo, they had a crucial Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain coming up. Their group, which included Galatasaray, AC Milan, and PSG, was fiercely competitive. After four rounds, Galatasaray had seven points, Deportivo and Milan had six each, and PSG had two. Every team still had a shot at qualification, meaning Deportivo couldn't afford to take it easy.

The same struggle applied to Real Madrid and Valencia. Even Barcelona, despite their early Champions League exit, was deep into their UEFA Cup campaign and had reached the quarter-finals, where they would face Celta Vigo. European commitments were draining everyone.

In this light, Mallorca's early UEFA Cup elimination was actually a blessing. It allowed them to focus entirely on the league.

"That is our biggest advantage and our best opportunity!"

José spoke with conviction. "This season's schedule favors us immensely. The next three opponents are all strong, but they all have midweek European matches to worry about! If we push the pace, we can outrun them. More importantly, we are just as strong as they are! They are exhausted, while we are fresh. So, how should we play against them?"

"Dominate the midfield! Keep running! Run them to death!"

The Mallorca players roared in unison.

José was satisfied. This was exactly the mentality he wanted.

Under his influence, the Mallorca players had learned to exploit their opponents' weaknesses. The key was to identify their vulnerabilities and strike where it hurt the most.

In some ways, facing strong teams was easier than facing weaker ones. The top teams had too many distractions, while bottom-tier teams had nothing to lose and would fight desperately every game.

By all accounts, the upcoming Mallorca vs. Deportivo match should have been a major highlight. After all, Deportivo's top scorer, Diego Tristán, was Mallorca's former star forward.

Last season, Tristán had been Mallorca's main goal threat. His transfer to Deportivo for nearly $20 million had been a huge blow. Since then, he had thrived, scoring 11 league goals already. His height, physicality, and finishing ability made him an instant fan favorite at Riazor. His success had even pushed Roy Makaay out wide and relegated Uruguayan striker Pandiani to the bench. Deportivo had three world-class strikers but usually played with just one up front, giving their coach, Javier Irureta, a selection headache.

Deportivo's squad was stacked, but that only made things more complicated for Irureta. In midfield, he had to choose between Djalminha and Valerón. Last season, Djalminha had proven himself as a world-class playmaker. Valerón had been brought in as a backup. However, Djalminha's form had dipped this season, and his unpredictable temper was becoming a problem, leading Irureta to rely more on the steady Valerón.

José saw this as an opportunity.

"If Valerón starts, it's fine. But if Djalminha starts, things will get interesting."

Despite the significance of the match, it wasn't the main event of the round. That honor went to the legendary El Clásico—Real Madrid vs. Barcelona.

This worked out perfectly for José. He preferred to keep the attention away from his team. They had already received enough scrutiny. For this match, he wanted his players to focus quietly.

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That didn't mean he was going to let Deportivo's players have a peaceful lead-up to the game.

José had no intention of making things easy for the club that had poached his star striker.

So, he launched his psychological warfare.

When asked about Tristán in an interview, José heaped praise on him: "Tristán proved himself in the second half of last season. He is a top-class forward, no doubt about it. If I had been in charge back then, there's no way I would have let him go for just $19 million. He's going to be Spain's best striker in the coming seasons."

This subtle dig was aimed directly at Deportivo's dressing room. José's words implied that Tristán should be the undisputed main striker—something Makaay wouldn't appreciate.

As if that wasn't enough, he then praised Valerón, indirectly calling Djalminha an undisciplined talent.

Irureta could only smile wryly. He had enough selection headaches without José adding fuel to the fire...