Chapter 175: No Brain and Unhappy
Didier Drogba willingly accepted José's arrangement, which made José quite pleased. The coaching staff had reported back that Drogba's finishing had improved significantly—at least in terms of fundamentals. He was beginning to develop an instinct for shooting, and while his shot placement wasn't particularly precise, his sheer power made his attempts dangerous enough.
What Drogba needed now was game experience—the kind that was entirely different from his past role. He had to learn to play as a goal-scoring forward rather than a static target man.
Such experience could only come from regular game time. However, Mallorca's first team couldn't afford to waste matches on his development. Under these circumstances, sending him to the B team to play in the Segunda División (Spanish second tier) was a great solution. There were more matches in the Segunda, and the schedule was tight. Before the winter break, Drogba could get at least six or seven official games under his belt—enough to regain his rhythm.
José knew that Drogba had a temper. Later in his career at Marseille, he even got into a dispute with a teammate over a parking lot incident. It wasn't until he joined Chelsea that he learned to restrain himself. At this stage, however, he was still a hotheaded young man. He respected José only because José had pinpointed the areas he needed to work on while balancing discipline with encouragement.
But José wasn't worried that Drogba would cause trouble in the B team due to a lack of authority figures. Mallorca B had always had a good atmosphere, and Drogba wasn't the type to act superior just because he was a first-team player temporarily demoted to the reserves. As long as he didn't carry that kind of attitude, things would be fine.
Moreover, most players in the B team were mild-mannered—even Daniel Güiza had a calm temperament. As for Samuel Eto'o, while he was fiery, his personality was more about rising to challenges rather than bullying weaker players.
So, after making the arrangement, José felt comfortable letting Drogba join the B team's training, expecting to see a better version of him after the winter break. Even if he couldn't become a starter, he could still be a valuable wildcard off the bench.
However, José overlooked one crucial detail—Mallorca B wasn't just a team full of quiet, obedient players. At least one person there was just as headstrong and defiant as Drogba. And because of that, an incident was bound to happen.
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