Chapter 155: First Victory
Las Palmas is an unpredictable team—when they hit their stride, they can be tough to handle. José had no intention of engaging in a head-on battle with them. Instead, his plan was to first wear down their momentum and then exploit their defensive weaknesses to strike.
Executing this approach wasn't too difficult. José didn't want his two tall center-backs getting exposed by the opponent's counterattacks, which relied on speed. Fortunately, Mallorca's midfield was composed of technically sound players with strong ball control—perfect for countering Las Palmas' fast-paced style.
The opponent in this match wasn't too different from Rayo Vallecano, whom José faced in his first game coaching Mallorca. However, this Mallorca team was much younger than the one from two years ago. They no longer needed to rely on ultra-defensive tactics and baiting the opponent into mistakes. Now, they had the ability to win in a more controlled and elegant manner.
Amidst the cheers of the Mallorca fans, the players stepped onto the pitch. For this match, José stuck with the same starting lineup he used in the first leg of the Super Cup, employing a diamond-shaped 4-4-2 midfield—though it could also be seen as a modified 4-4-2. Kaladze provided defensive cover for Motta, Rufete played on the right, and Ronaldinho had the flexibility to operate on the left and center.
Compared to many of his contemporaries, José's greatest strength was his willingness to break free from rigid formations. This was the direction in which football would evolve—players becoming increasingly versatile, breaking the constraints of traditional formations in favor of more fluid styles of play. At present, only a handful of coaches were beginning to explore this concept, and they were still in the experimental stage. But José already had the knowledge and experience—he could effortlessly implement the tactical innovations that would become widely known in the future.
For this approach to work, players needed strong tactical awareness and execution. José had been drilling this into them during training, shaping the team into a cohesive system.
The idea of a "system" in football might seem vague, but at its core, it was about having a tactical framework that could be universally applied. Building such a system was a long-term process, but there were ways to see results in the short term.
With the referee's whistle, the match officially began!
From the start, Las Palmas pressed aggressively in midfield, but Mallorca remained composed, passing the ball around to tire out their opponents. Although it was early in the season, making it unlikely to exhaust the opposition physically, Mallorca's real goal was to dampen their initial intensity. They couldn't allow Las Palmas to come out swinging and unsettle them.
No team can maintain relentless aggression indefinitely—this principle holds just as true on the football pitch.
As the game progressed, Las Palmas' movements began to slow—not only due to fatigue but also because their pressing wasn't yielding results.