This preview of Mallorca's season was written by Allen Dodson of Villarreal USA
La Liga Team Previews: Michael Laudrup Should Keep Mallorca Safely Mid-Table
Things could have gone so differently for Real Mallorca. Los Bermellones have been in La Liga since 1997, and were an injury-time goal away from qualifying for the Champions League playoff round in 2010. Sevilla got that spot, and while the Mallorca fans were still reeling from that, worse was to come.
First, the team declared bankruptcy and entered administration, with debts of over €50million; then, UEFA refused to grant them a license to compete in the Europa League, and awarded their spot to Villarreal. While in hindsight this decision might have saved Mallorca's league status for another year by allowing the islanders to concentrate on only one competition, their fans didn't see it that way.
The main villains of the piece in Mallorcan eyes are Villarreal, who not only took their place in the Europa League but signed Borja Valero, who had been one of Mallorca's key players (and left because the club couldn't pay him) and ex-coach Gregorio Manzano, who resigned after blasting the club's supporters and eventually sued the team for bonuses he was owed.
Mallorca survived the departure of Valero, Aduriz and others last year, though survival in La Liga turned out to be a near thing. Coach Michael Laudrup at least knows that the new owners (who include tennis star Rafael Nadal) are more interested in the product on the pitch than lining their own pockets, which hasn’t always been the case with the club’s owners. And, though the team is still officially in administration, at least it is being run with an eye toward breaking even.
Unfortunately, that means there’s not a lot of money around to pay large salaries, or for that matter large transfer fees. Mallorca has done a good job of working the margins and coming up with decent players that weren’t on anyone’s radar, and while finishing in the top half of the table would be a huge surprise, assuming the team can hold on to Ramis and Castro Mallorca should end up comfortably in the top of the bottom third of the table at the end of the year. Which, if the team and fans can get over their hatred of Villarreal, would be a good thing in my book, as having a team in the Balearic Islands adds an interesting dimension to La Liga.
Let’s start at the back, because Mallorca have two good goalkeepers, first-choice Dudu Aouate, an Israeli international, and Juan Calatayud, who played for Hércules last season and played well. Defensively Mallorca have counted on the center-back pairing of Ivan Ramis and José Nunes for some time now, and they’re steady, Ramis in particular is a fine defender, and it’s expect he may well be sold before the summer transfer window closes.
Mallorca picked up Gianni Zuiverloon on a free after his release from West Brom this summer, and he should help at right back, as well as give Nunes a rest at times or perhaps replace Ramis. Pau Cendros was first-choice right back last year, and is okay, but left back is a real problem. Mallorca picked up Uruguayan Pablo Caceres this summer, but apart from him it’s young Kevin Garcia who plays out there, and he hasn’t shown a great deal.
The midfield is a real United Nations, with Brazilian Joåo Victor, Japanese player Aki (Akihiro Lenaga), and prize pickup Canadian/Dutch player Jonathan de Guzman who joined for nothing last year and scored five goals. Vice-captain José Luis Marti is a decent presence in central midfield, too. On the wings, Mallorca has Uruguayan Chori Castro, who has been on the team’s transfer list for some time-he’s a fast attacking left winger of quality, and Frenchman Michael Pereira, plays on the right and chipped in with five goals last season as well.
Up front the options are more limited. With the recent sale of Pierre Webo to a Turkish team, local boy Emilio Nsue will have pressure on him to produce more than the four goals he scored last year. Mallorca did sign young Israeli Tomar Hemed on a free transfer this summer, and he’ll be given plenty of chances to contribute. The only other striker at the moment on the roster is Victor Casadesus-again, good for a half-dozen goals a year, but hardly a player to build an attack around.
This really is the problem for Els Barralets in a nutshell. Their roster has plenty of talented players who can play supporting roles, but without outstanding midfield providers and strikers (such as Borja Valero and Aduriz, important components of the 2009-10 squad) the team could use some breakout seasons from players like De Guzman and Hemed to get the fans excited about coming to the games and achieving mid-table safety.
Key Players: Ivan Ramis: if he is sold, Mallorca’s backline suddenly looks a lot less solid; and Chori Castro-if he goes, the attack suffers.
Breakout season: Jonathan de Guzman impressed last year. If he can continue to build on that success, Mallorca may really have something. And Tomar Hemed might not be ready to break out yet, but he could be a good pickup.
Prediction: It really depends on whether the roster stays the way it is. With Ramis and Castro, Mallorca probably finish 12th or so, well above the relegation zone; without them, a few places lower. Either way I think Laudrup will work enough magic to keep Primera football on the island for another year.
See More:
