Chapter 169: Refusing to Be Weak Away from Home
José's bold ambition sounded inspiring, but for Mallorca, reality was much simpler—they had to take things one match at a time.
After securing early qualification for the Champions League knockout stage, Mallorca suffered a minor setback in La Liga. They were held to a 3-3 draw away against newly promoted Sevilla, who repeatedly exposed Mallorca's defense with quick counterattacks, embarrassing their backline.
Though it was just a draw, the match revealed a key weakness—while Mallorca's attack was dazzling, their defense wasn't as solid as before. Against teams with pacey forwards, unless they adopted a defensive approach, their backline was vulnerable.
In the final group stage match of the Champions League, José fielded an entirely rotated squad, giving playing time to those who had been sidelined, including the long-benched Didier Drogba. Despite the changes, Mallorca still won at home, edging out Panathinaikos 1-0 thanks to a goal from Ivan Klasnić, securing first place in their group and advancing to the Round of 16 in style!
Spanish teams dominated the group stage, with all four progressing to the knockout rounds. The Bundesliga, however, suffered, as Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund were eliminated, leaving only Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. Italy lost Lazio, leaving just Juventus and Roma. Meanwhile, all three English teams survived.
La Liga was undoubtedly in its prime. With Serie A fading in European competition, Spanish clubs had been shining on the continental stage, drawing increased attention.
Back in domestic action, Mallorca maintained their strong home form, cruising to a 3-0 win over Tenerife. However, their struggles away from home continued—against Real Sociedad, they labored until the 85th minute before Ronaldinho's solo effort secured a narrow 2-1 victory.
José was frustrated. This wasn't about fixture congestion—there had been a full week of rest between games. Yet, Mallorca's home and away performances were worlds apart.
At home, they were unstoppable, winning every match so far, a record unmatched across Europe. Their league position reflected this dominance, sitting atop La Liga with 26 points (8 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), three points clear of Deportivo La Coruña. But away from home, they struggled—even when they won, it was rarely convincing.