Chapter 166: Mallorca’s Future Direction
After their home victory over Zaragoza, Mallorca climbed back to second place in the league with five wins and two losses, accumulating 15 points. Ahead of them was Real Betis with five wins, one draw, and one loss. Barcelona, having lost to Deportivo La Coruña in the last round, found themselves tied with Deportivo at 14 points (four wins, two draws, and one loss), ranking third and fourth. Valencia and Celta Vigo were tied for fifth with 13 points, while Real Madrid showed some signs of recovery, defeating Athletic Bilbao at home by two goals and climbing to 13th place with eight points.
It was clear that the early start to this season, combined with the late finish of the previous one, had significantly impacted the performance of La Liga's top clubs. Additionally, their commitments in the Champions League drained much of their energy, creating a peculiar cycle—Spanish clubs performed well in Europe but struggled to maintain consistency in domestic competition.
Following this match, José decided to give his players a day off. Over the past month, they had played nine matches with almost no rest. If he didn't allow them to recover, their form might deteriorate further.
José also planned to use this day to review the previous matches, identify any mistakes he had made, and assess areas where the team could improve.
This wasn't an easy task to do alone, but he had the perfect assistant for the job.
Unlike at Real Madrid, where his role was more limited, José had fully utilized Pirri's abilities, making him a true "technical director" who complemented the head coach's work. Pirri had a keen eye for talent, so José never hesitated to involve him in training sessions. His professional judgment helped cover some of José's blind spots in the finer details, and José always valued his input.
"I've assessed the five new signings pretty thoroughly," Pirri said, seemingly prepared for José's visit.
"Van Buyten is already a well-rounded player. His aerial ability is excellent, and his movement on the ground isn't slow. However, he struggles against quick and agile forwards. Given his size, it's not easy for him to react to sudden bursts of speed. Coupled with Nadal's lack of pace, our defense will suffer against such opponents."
"I'm aware of that," José replied with a sigh. "And there's not much room for Van Buyten to improve—he can only gain more experience. It was obvious against Barcelona when Saviola got past him and scored. The only solution is to provide more protection in front of the box to prevent direct one-on-one situations. We have to make do with what we have. Fast and defensively solid center-backs aren't easy to find."