Yet another week and yet another home win for Mallorca as they disposed of Racing Santander 1-0 at the Ono Estadi on Sunday. Nothing Fancy. Just hard work and team play leading to a well earned victory on Webos first half goal. Other chances certainly were created and the score could have been less threatening, but a well deserved win. With Deportivos stumble we now move into 5th place with 17 points sniffing the heals of Sevilla and Valencia, two of Spains more established teams and big names to casual observers of La Liga.
Prior to this win, the team was getting some attention as there is a nice article that sums up the recent fortunes of the club. While it does not mention all the key losses and turnover of players, it is a good look from an outsider. Please have a look at the following article…
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=690942&sec=europe&root=europe&cc=5901
The bottom line is this team is doing what most small clubs hope to do which is find players under the radar and have them mesh as a team while under the guidance of a top notch manager.
We have that and the only bad thing about a good start and solid finish is that if we finish again just outside of the European spots, because of the early strong start, Manzano will get some offers for big clubs that he might take. Lets hope he sticks around for now but we can worry about that later. If we can finish in a European spot, he might stay.
All fans should be proud of not only the extended run in La Liga for 13 years, but the strong teams and players that have come through and moved on to bigger clubs. The list is quite impressive and no other small club with our budget has seen the players wear their shirt like we have the past few years.
Who are this years surprises? How about Felipe Mattioni, the young defender from Brazil. Check him out and he showed in the Racing match that he is one for the future. Lets see if we can find a way to keep him past this year.
With the history of strong finishes, this team is not out of the question for a European spot. Lets keep enjoying the run and continue to be proud of whatever it is that ties us to the club and causes us to root for them week in and week out.
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