I Am Jose-Chapter 73 - : The New Mallorca

A warm breeze from the Mediterranean swept across the island of Mallorca, bringing the promise of summer. As the season arrived, the weather on the island began to grow increasingly hot.

The intense summer heat persisted until mid-October before gradually cooling, and even then, the drop in temperature was minimal. The Mediterranean paradise truly lived up to its reputation; with its spring-like weather year-round, it was the islanders' greatest treasure.

To protect this natural wealth, even though tourism was the island's main economic driver, the local council imposed an environmental protection fee on every visitor to help maintain the ecological balance. Most of the island remained undeveloped, preserving its pristine condition.

While the weather remained ideal, the mood of the Mallorcans, however, began to sour.

After the appointment of the new head coach, Vázquez, the outstanding rookie from last season, Diego Tristan, was sold by the club. His price tag, close to twenty million dollars, was certainly impressive. Tristan transferred to the reigning league champions, Deportivo La Coruña, and he was the only player Mallorca sold this season.

However, Vázquez was only able to secure five million dollars in transfer fees to strengthen the team. This paltry sum was insufficient to bring in any big-name stars. With the loss of a key forward, Vázquez's priority was to address the offensive gaps—after all, the primary striker duo from last season was no longer available. Carlos and Ginteros were unreliable, and though the Argentine striker, Biagini, had recovered from a long injury, how much form he could regain was still uncertain.

Vázquez's ambitious overhaul of the squad was left unfulfilled. He spent the entire five million dollars on offensive players, securing the 29-year-old George from relegated Betis for two million dollars. Although George wasn't yet past his prime and still had a strong aerial presence and impact on the wings, his acquisition was thanks to Betis's relegation.

Vázquez had hoped to take advantage of other relegated teams, but his plans fell through. Alfonso from Betis moved to Barcelona, Solari and Beléron from Atlético Madrid joined Real Madrid and La Coruña, respectively, while Hesselbaink went to Chelsea, and José Mari transferred to AC Milan. None of these players ended up at Mallorca.

Vázquez, who lacked strong ties in Spain, struggled to find players willing to join him. More importantly, without the necessary funds, his options were limited.

In the end, Vázquez turned to overseas markets and managed to sign 26-year-old Ecuadorian forward Agustin Delgado from Mexican club Casa for three million dollars. Delgado had an impressive record of 25 goals in 33 appearances in the Mexican league last season. This transfer was a success, as Delgado was in his prime and shared similar characteristics with Tristan, providing a solid addition to Mallorca's attacking line.

With one departure and two arrivals, Mallorca's squad didn't seem much weaker on paper. However, the reality was far from it.

During the pre-season training, Vázquez delivered a speech outlining his desire for Mallorca to play more aggressively, to take the initiative, and to secure more victories through attacking play.

Vázquez also emphasized physical fitness and made significant tactical changes. As one of José's protégés, Mota and Luk were relegated to the second team, while the starting goalkeeper position was handed back to Bogus, with Franco now serving as the backup.

Vázquez retained much of the core from last season, but with George and Delgado becoming regular starters. Delgado took the center-forward role, George occupied the right wing, and Ibágaça returned to the attacking midfielder position, with Stankovic still on the left wing. Other positions remained largely unchanged from the previous season.

When José learned of Vázquez's starting lineup, he almost burst out laughing.

"This fool, looks like he'll be fired sooner or later," José chuckled to his father.

"Oh? Why do you say that? Although we lost Tristan and Eto'o, George and Delgado aren't bad, at least they're more experienced," Alemany asked, puzzled.

"From a personnel standpoint, they might not be much worse than last season. As long as they play well, there's a good chance of securing a top-ten league finish," José smiled and explained. "But the flaws in the current squad are huge—Ibágaça playing as an attacking midfielder will stifle his abilities. George, though capable, has really declined, and his threat on the wing isn't the same as Ibágaça's. Moving Ibágaça back to the center was a big mistake. Delgado is a solid addition, though, as a target man he should be fine. The personnel issue isn't massive, but tactically... Vázquez is doomed."

"Uh? What do you mean?" Alemany asked.

"From what I've seen in his training, he really wants Mallorca to play more actively, increasing their running. This tactic isn't bad per se, but he forgets—look at the older players in the back. After a full game, they'll be exhausted! Maybe they can hang on at the start of the season with fresh legs, but as the games progress, the results will deteriorate. And the old guys won't be happy with this kind of play. Does Vázquez not know how Gomez got fired last season? This guy clearly has no idea," José sneered.

Alemany thought about it and realized José was right. The reason Mallorca performed poorly in the first half of the last season was because Gomez insisted on a high-pressure, running-heavy tactic, which caused friction with the veteran players. With Mallorca's squad, it was surprising they lost 13 games in the first round.

What did this prove? It showed that a coach who alienated his players would lead to insubordination. No one would admit the players were right, but a coach who made the majority of players unhappy indicated major flaws in his approach.

Why did José manage to win over the team so quickly? It wasn't that his tactics were inherently better than Gomez's, but he tailored them to fit the players. That's why they were willing to fight for him and perform better!

The most important thing: if you can get most of the players on your side, your position is secure. It was clear Gomez overlooked this, and so had Vázquez.

Vázquez was still using the same approach he used with Rayo Vallecano. What he didn't understand was that Rayo was a newly promoted team, with no stars and mostly young players. They didn't mind playing along. But Mallorca, though a mid-tier team, was full of seasoned veterans, with few players who could be easily replaced. Making them uncomfortable meant bad results, no matter how talented the coach.

Was José satisfied with the situation inside the team? Of course not! When players could unite to have a coach fired, that's a serious problem. But who caused it? It was the Mallorca management, of course. They kept selling key players in their prime and brought in older players. How could the veterans not band together? The solution to this was simple—increase investment and ensure the coach's authority. Over time, the situation could be reversed—after all, the old players wouldn't last forever.

For now, though, José was eager to see how Vázquez would fare under pressure at Mallorca.

In the first game of the new season, Mallorca lost the European Super Cup, despite George scoring his first goal for the club. They were defeated 2-1 by last season's Champions League winners, Real Madrid, at the Louis II stadium. Despite the loss, Mallorca's performance garnered praise. Their relentless running and pressing put Real Madrid's defense under constant pressure, and their fluid attacking play was a pleasant surprise. At one point, Mallorca even led and fought Real Madrid to extra time before conceding the golden goal.

Many commentators praised Mallorca's performance, calling it a refreshing departure from their dull play last season. Had they been luckier, they might have won the European Super Cup.

Vázquez, however, criticized the referee, claiming that Real Madrid's equalizer in regular time shouldn't have stood. Regardless, despite the loss, Mallorca didn't lose momentum, and their performance sparked hope among the fans for the rest of the season.

Before the La Liga season began, La Coruña, the league champions, defeated cup winners Espanyol to win the Spanish Super Cup. Tristan's performance in that match was stellar—almost single-handedly dismantling Espanyol's defense. Mallorca fans could only sigh. If Tristan hadn't left, perhaps they could have won the European Super Cup, as they were just a step away from victory.

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It was too late to dwell on that now. Mallorca fans could only hope that the upcoming league season would bring them joy. And of course, there was still the UEFA Cup...

First Round of La Liga:

Mallorca faced Valladolid, who had finished 9th last season. Valladolid had lost several key players and lacked standout performers, making it a prime opportunity for Mallorca to claim a win.

At home, Mallorca launched wave after wave of attacks. In the 5th minute, Ibágaça received a header from Delgado and fired a shot from the edge of the box to open the scoring.

Valladolid could only react passively to Mallorca's intense pressure. Unfortunately, while Delgado had great power and potential, he was still adjusting to La Liga and missed several chances. At halftime, Vázquez substituted Biagini for Delgado, hoping to create more opportunities. Biagini did just that, and in the 65th minute, he earned a penalty through a breakaway.

From the sidelines, Vázquez waved his arms, signaling for Biagini to take the penalty. He was eager to find his trusted players, and clearly, Biagini, who hadn't played under José last season, was one such player.