Chapter 47: Another José
Despite failing to stop Deportivo La Coruña and Valencia, now that the point gap between Barcelona and La Coruña is just two points, if they can manage to halt Barcelona's momentum, it would likely be very pleasing to Real Madrid. Real Madrid's chances of winning the league this season are nearly impossible, and they certainly don't want to see Barcelona win a third consecutive title. If Mallorca can interfere with Barcelona's bid for the championship, it will naturally endear Mallorca to Real Madrid, and José hopes to one day get some good deals from Real Madrid. Maintaining a good relationship is important.
As for Barcelona, it's far more difficult to get a player from them than from Real Madrid.
In the future, there's a saying in La Liga: "Barcelona's youth training makes Barcelona strong, but Real Madrid's youth training benefits all of La Liga." Almost all the players developed by Barcelona stay with the club, the better the player, the more likely they are to stay. On the other hand, Real Madrid produces many players every year, but only a few stay with them, while most are scattered throughout La Liga.
For the future, José believes that even if it involves some risks, it's worth it.
With this plan in mind, Mallorca dominated the second half of the match against Leeds United.
Mallorca, leading in the score and with better physical condition, didn't launch an overwhelming attack in the second half. Facing Mallorca's packed defense, Leeds felt like a tiger trying to eat a tortoise—it just couldn't get to the point.
Boyer had excellent talent, both in technique and physical attributes, but he was a player who played based on his mood. When in a good mood, he could play like a new Gascoigne; when in a bad mood, he played terribly. Although Boyer wasn't yet the problematic player who would later fight with his teammates on the field, he had already become a spoiled troublemaker, playing with a carefree attitude. Affected by the weather, he became increasingly lackluster in the second half.
This season had been Boyer's best at Leeds, and his performance had been a major factor in their progress. Now that he was slacking off on the pitch, Leeds' attack began to suffer significantly.
Although Smith and Kewell still showed strong professional spirit and kept running hard, the overall lethargy, combined with the lack of a target striker like Viduka, meant that Leeds could only pass around the ball without creating any real shooting opportunities.