Chapter 43 Rival Leeds

Chapter 43 Rival Leeds

"You can't concentrate on fighting us this time, and I can't concentrate on fighting you. Let's wait until next time... It's not easy for a small team, and it's even more difficult for a small team to fight on two fronts."

This is what Cooper left behind meaningfully when he turned to leave.

"Small team? That's why I don't want to coach a small team forever..." Jose looked at Cooper's back, thinking secretly.

A small loss to Valencia with one goal, and Mallorca's points stayed at 34 points. Atletico Madrid, which had just seen a glimmer of hope in the last round, lost 0-3 to Numancia in the away game. Italian coach Ranieri suffered Under tremendous pressure, Real Betis was tied 0-0 by Celta Vigo, and both teams fell behind Mallorca by two points at the same time. Lorca is four points away, and the other Real Oviedo, Racing Santander and Malaga have all suffered defeats. The points ahead of Mallorca are also only one point, two points and three points. Mallorca's The relegation situation did not continue to deteriorate.

"Now we have eight rounds left in the league against Espanyol, Barcelona, ​​Alaves, Oviedo, Real Betis, Real Valladolid, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, four of which are The team is our direct opponent on the road to relegation. In the next eight rounds of the league, we must grab at least 12 points before we can successfully land, so in the next games, we will not have much time to adjust. I hope You give your best in every game!"

"No problem, boss, we rested for more than a week before the game against the Spaniard, enough for us to kill those opponents!" Ngonga said to Jose on behalf of the players.

Jose nodded in satisfaction. The abandonment of this game will naturally be rewarding. For Mallorca, this rare rest time will give them more motivation to play in the next game.

The next schedule is actually quite favorable for Mallorca.

Home game against Espanyol on April 2nd, home game against Leeds United on April 6th, away game to Barcelona on April 9th, followed by a week of rest, and then home game against Alaves on April 16th, April 2nd An away game against Leeds United on the 10th, and an away game against Mallorca on April 23rd, plus a break in the middle, equals to playing six games in four weeks, which is definitely not difficult.

None of the league opponents during this period are direct opponents of relegation. However, if you work hard during this period, maybe Mallorca can succeed in relegation ahead of schedule, and then you won't be too distracted in the league.

After recharging their batteries for more than a week, Mallorca ushered in the Spaniard at home!

As the second top league team in Catalonia, the Spaniard can be regarded as an undercover agent placed by the Spanish government in Catalonia. For them, the task of each season is to add chaos to Barcelona besides relegation. ——And every season, they have done a good job in this regard...

They have played well this season and are firmly in the middle. Although they have not been able to completely break out of the relegation zone, they are not in great danger. Therefore, it is relatively easy for the Spaniards to come to Mallorca.

The Spaniard, who played lightly, played quite well after the opening. In the fourth minute of the game, after an exquisite cooperation in the frontcourt, midfielder Roger broke into the penalty area and was knocked to the ground by Nino who was filling in. The referee awarded a penalty kick. Romania's midfielder Garca scored a penalty kick to win the game first.

However, Mallorca, which has been recharging for more than a week, immediately launched a fierce counterattack with its teeth and claws - since Jose took office, Mallorca has not lost at home, not even a draw, and has maintained a complete victory - This is true whether it is in the UEFA Cup or in the league. How can such a glorious record be broken by a team like the Spaniard!

In the 22nd minute, Ngonga made a straight pass to Tristan. After Tristan took the ball from the front of the penalty area, he attracted most of the Spaniard's defensive attention. Then he turned around and slanted the ball into the penalty area. Go up, after catching the ball, calmly shoot to the goalkeeper to tie the score!

"Samuel! Samuel! Samuel!"

The Mallorca fans in the stands cheered rhythmically for Eto'o. He has not been in Mallorca for a long time, but Eto'o's outstanding performance has already established his position in the hearts of Mallorca fans!

As Jose said before, the agile and sturdy Eto'o, the tall and mighty Tristan, is Mallorca's new hope - at least in his hands.

In the first half, it was a one-to-one tie with the opponent. The Mallorca fans felt that something was not enough, and the Mallorca players also felt that something was not enough.

So in the second half, they launched a more ferocious offense-to win the game before the start of the UEFA Cup, and at the same time, a victory before the start of the UEFA Cup can also make the team's state better.

On the one hand, they were determined to win at home, and on the other hand, their fighting spirit was not as strong as that of the Catalan Derby. The most direct result was that Mallorca took the advantage in the second half...

In the 67th minute, Ibagaza kicked back after breaking through the wing, and then sent the ball into the penalty area with his left foot. Tristan, who was in front of the point, unloaded the ball from his chest, and then immediately turned around and volleyed. The near post flew into the goal and Mallorca took the lead!

In the 81st minute, Mallorca established the victory. This time it was the full-back Armando who came off the bench. After receiving a free kick from Stankovic, he scored from the far post. Mallorca scored three goals at home. After defeating the Spaniard, they won another league victory.

Continuing the good state of the recent games, Mallorca scored 37 points, while other relegation opponents were not very up to date. Racing Santander, Numancia, Real Oviedo, Malaga Betis lost, Atletico Madrid lost, and Sevilla lost. Mallorca's ranking rose from seventeenth to fifteenth in one breath, and the gap with the relegation zone has widened to five points!

With seven rounds left in the league, the five-point advantage puts Mallorca in a relatively safe position, and it also allows them to participate in the UEFA Cup without any scruples.

As the last remaining La Liga team in the UEFA Cup semi-finals, Mallorca has begun to attract more attention. Although the Spanish team has always performed well in the Champions League in the past ten years, in the most proven one In the UEFA Cup, which is the overall strength of the league, their results are very average. The UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup in the 1990s were basically dominated by Serie A teams. However, the La Liga teams were also eliminated one by one, leaving only Mallorca as a single seedling. In addition to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, Mallorca has also received more attention.

On April 5th and April 6th, the first round of the Champions League quarter-finals kicked off.

For the three La Liga teams, the first round of the game can be described as both good and bad.

Real Madrid was tied 0-0 at home by the defending Champions League champions from the Premier League. They will face a severe test in the away game. Barcelona was defeated by another Premier League team in the away game. The score of 3-1 made Chelsea very hopeful. However, the most inconspicuous Valencia has brought people a huge surprise. Under the command of Cooper, they beat last season's Serie A runner-up Lazio unexpectedly 5-2 at home, and one foot has already stepped into the Final Four!

After the result of this game came out, the whole world was shocked.

Cooper gave up the league in the previous round of the league. Valencia, who came off the bench, was beaten 3-0 by Barcelona at home. However, this dormancy played a huge role. The tired Barcelona was defeated by Chelsea. The recharged Valencia achieved a brilliant victory in the Champions League!

Appropriately giving up a certain game to save character for the next more important game-this method is also used by Jose, which is something he learned from Cooper.

"Okay, it's our turn next... Although we didn't give up in the last round of the league, I don't think the previous rest will make you too tired, will it?" Jose said to all the players with a smile .

"That's right, we are ready!" Mallorca players began to show their loyalty by rolling up their sleeves one by one...

Mallorca's opponent in the UEFA Cup semi-final is Leeds United.

This Leeds United team already has the embryonic form of the "Youth Guards" in the next few years. Except for Ferdinand, Viduka and Dacourt who have not yet joined, the others are basically the next Young Guards. The main force, their performance this season is also quite good, clinging to the front three of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, they are very hopeful to enter the Champions League in the second half of the season.

However, their state has not been very good recently. The last two rounds of the league were lost to Leicester City and Chelsea respectively. In addition to the defeat in the second leg of the UEFA Cup, it is already a three-game losing streak. With their winning streak in the Premier League, UEFA Cup and FA Cup and their losing streak after entering April, Jose can fully judge that this team is now at a trough.

"O'Reilly is still a bit ruthless. The Premier League is one of the leagues with the most intensive schedule in the world. What's more, Leeds United is fighting on the third line. The physical fitness of the players is already in April without the winter break. They are starting to be close to exhaustion, and under such circumstances, they still tried their best to fight against each other in the last round of the league, I see what you Ole use to fight us at our home court!"

Jose thought confidently.

Mallorca's home field advantage has always been relatively obvious. As an isolated island, its climate and geography are somewhat different from those of mainland Europe. Mallorca is much bigger, no matter what the climate is, it is still very different from a small island like Mallorca...

Geographically speaking, the UK is located in the northwest of the European continent, while Mallorca is located in the southeast of the European continent. In terms of climate, Mallorca is like spring all year round, while the UK is a symbol of continuous rainy weather...

"Leeds players come to Mallorca and if they adapt quickly, hell!"

If the Leeds players are in good physical fitness and physical condition, they may not feel too much discomfort. However, now is their physical exhaustion period. When they come to a place with a completely different climate, the feeling of discomfort will be even greater. strong.

"At home, we must gain enough advantage, otherwise, it will be our turn not to adapt to the away game." Jose thought while rubbing his chin.