I Am Jose-Chapter 182 - : We Are a Strong Team

Getting knocked out of the Copa del Rey wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Mallorca. Before the Champions League resumed on February 21, there was only one week where they had to play two matches. The rest of the time, they only had one game per week, a schedule their players were more accustomed to, allowing them to perform better.

On January 27, Mallorca faced Alavés away from home.

For this match, José made slight adjustments to the lineup. Pablo García returned to the bench, Kaladze started, and Gamarra replaced Nadal in defense. The rest of the starting players remained unchanged from the previous match.

Maintaining continuity was crucial for regaining form.

With a week of rest, Mallorca's players had no fitness issues. In fact, their inconsistent form in the first half of the season and recent matches stemmed from being accustomed to a one-game-per-week rhythm. This particularly affected key players like Ronaldinho, Motta, and Eto'o. When they had midweek Champions League matches, they performed well in Europe but struggled in the league on weekends. It was purely a matter of adjusting their form.

Even with this inconsistency, Mallorca had achieved remarkable results, proving their strength.

After their home victory over Athletic Bilbao, a direct rival, Mallorca's form was fully restored. Despite playing away, they displayed excellent condition in this match.

Compared to their first encounter earlier in the season, both teams were in a similar situation. In their third-round clash, both Mallorca and Alavés had won their first two games. Mallorca ultimately won at home. Now, Mallorca had 39 points, tying with Real Madrid, who drew in their last match. Alavés, surprisingly, sat in third place. Their win over Real Sociedad in the previous round propelled them to this position, just three points behind Mallorca and ahead of Deportivo La Coruña on goal difference.

Facing Bilbao, who were third before, and now Alavés, who had taken that spot, Mallorca's fixture list was quite interesting.

Alavés had been one of the standout teams in La Liga this season. Despite losing key players like Contra and Moreno, they performed even better than last season. Meanwhile, those two players struggled badly at AC Milan, failing in La Liga's export market, much like Pablo García before them.

Alavés' fans were confident their team could beat Mallorca at home and overtake them for second place. With Champions League qualification at stake, mid-table La Liga teams had been punching above their weight, clearly driven by financial incentives.

But José wasn't concerned.

"We are a strong team. You are a mid-table team. That is an undeniable fact."

Before the match, he addressed his players in the locker room:

"Our away form hasn't been great lately. Now's our chance to show them we can dominate on the road. Alavés is an old rival. Last season, we scored four goals in their stadium. I believe we can do it again this season. What do you think?"

The Mallorca players roared in unison:

"Of course we can!"

"Let's put four past them!"

With that battle cry, they stormed out of the locker room, ready to make a statement.

Alavés lacked star players this season. Their impressive form had been fueled by sheer determination. They were an unpredictable team, capable of drawing with Real Madrid and Valencia or beating Barcelona, yet also losing to weaker sides like Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano. However, their high win rate had earned them enough points—opting for a "go big or go home" approach rather than settling for draws.

Right from kickoff, they launched an aggressive attack, hoping to score early. They seemed to have forgotten how Athletic Bilbao had lost in the previous match.

But this time, Mallorca didn't rely on a patient approach. Instead, they met aggression with aggression.

Just six minutes in, Mallorca executed a brilliant attacking move. Ronaldinho broke through the middle and passed to the advancing Motta. Motta feigned a long-range shot before shifting the ball to Rufete on the right wing. Rufete drilled a low pass into the box, where Eto'o flicked the ball back with his heel. Ronaldinho, arriving at the edge of the area, smashed a precise shot into the bottom corner!

Mallorca took the lead!

Alavés fans were stunned—barely minutes into the game, and they were already trailing.

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Their nightmare was far from over.

Five minutes later, Mallorca intercepted an Alavés attack. Kaladze won the ball and passed to Ronaldinho, who immediately played a through ball before the defense could recover. Luck sprinted through on goal and slotted the ball into the far corner, scoring for the 11th consecutive league match!

Two goals down in just eleven minutes, Alavés were shell-shocked. Desperate, they launched frantic attacks. But Mallorca, instead of pressing forward, chose to slow the game down and control the midfield battle.

Breaking down a deep-lying Mallorca defense was no easy task. Only a handful of teams had managed it this season, and Alavés certainly wasn't one of them.

After successfully holding off Alavés' assault in the first half, Mallorca switched gears in the second, hitting their opponents with deadly counterattacks.

Eto'o, who had been struggling lately, finally got on the scoresheet. In the 56th minute, Motta lofted a pass over the defense. Eto'o sprinted through, one-on-one with the keeper, and calmly slotted the ball into the near corner.

Three-nil!

With the game all but secured, José began rotating his squad. Novo replaced Rufete, while Klasnić and Drogba came on for the two goal-scoring forwards.

This was a clear indication that José was preparing for the upcoming Champions League and La Liga double duty. Once the Champions League resumed, squad rotation would be crucial. The performance of backup players could make all the difference.

Even though these substitutions signaled that Mallorca was easing up, the young substitutes had no intention of simply seeing out the game. With all three being attack-minded players, they immediately started pressing high up the pitch. Mallorca's defenders gladly played long balls upfield, knowing that Drogba would almost always win the first header.

Drogba won the aerial duels and knocked the ball down for Klasnić, who either drove forward himself or passed to Novo to organize the attack. This direct approach was highly effective against an Alavés defense riddled with gaps. Forced to constantly retreat after losing possession, Alavés were in complete disarray.

Watching from the sidelines, José rubbed his chin and mused, "Interesting... If we score one more, that'd be perfect."

It was clear that Mallorca's backup attack, though not yet fully refined, was already quite threatening. Drogba's physicality, Klasnić's technique, and Novo's playmaking could hold their own against mid-table teams.

If this were a video game, José would use his strongest lineup for key matches and the second-stringers against weaker teams. However, reality wasn't that simple. Having two completely separate starting lineups was impractical, both in terms of squad harmony and tactical preparation. Managing different lineups for different opponents would double a coach's workload.

A more viable approach was rotating specific positions rather than entire lineups.

The issue was that Drogba, Klasnić, and Novo played in the same positions as Eto'o and the others. Reducing the main stars' playing time could cause dissatisfaction and disrupt team performance.

A sensible strategy would be to use the backup trio in less critical matches leading up to key fixtures.

While José was deep in thought, Mallorca scored again.

Drogba outmuscled defenders twice in succession, winning aerial duels and causing havoc. After securing possession, he passed to Klasnić and immediately sprinted forward.

Drogba understood his role—his ball control wasn't his strength, so he left the dribbling to Klasnić, whose ability to take on defenders was far superior.

Klasnić weaved through a disorganized Alavés defense, shaking off two defenders before cutting into the box from the wing.

Inside the area, pressure mounted. Alavés had tightened their defense, blocking his shooting angle.

Just then, Klasnić spotted Drogba bursting into the box and lofted a precise pass toward him.

Seeing the ball coming, Drogba's eyes lit up. He leaped into the air like a towering dark cloud over the Alavés penalty area and smashed a powerful header toward goal!

The ball soared past the despairing goalkeeper and into the net!

4-0!

Mallorca secured a dominant away victory!