After their 3-0 away victory over Barcelona, Mallorca's montum reached its peak.
Relegation was almost secured, and all their energy could be focused on the UEFA Cup. Mallorca's players were essentially heading into the competition with light hearts. Although their earlier enthusiasm had dissipated, the thrill of the UEFA Cup kept them sharp, and their form didn't decline but instead improved, allowing them to approach the ga with a more relaxed mindset and a better attitude!
On April 15th, Mallorca, playing at ho, secured a clean win over Alavés with a brace from Tristan. After this defeat, Alavés essentially lost all hope of making it to European competitions. Mallorca's points reached 43, climbing to 12th place, a ten-point lead over Atlético Madrid, who were 18th after a draw. With five rounds left in the league, Mallorca's survival was virtually guaranteed.
This season's relegation battle had shocked everyone. It was expected for Sevilla, who were bottom, to struggle, being newly promoted. However, Atlético Madrid and Betis? One was the 95-96 season's double winner of the La Liga and Copa del Rey, and the other had set a world record two years ago in the transfer market. Yet these two legendary teams were now dangerously close to relegation...
Perhaps the happiest fans were those of Real Madrid...
José, however, wasn't too fazed by it. If a team didn't perform well, even a historic club could be relegated. Having a long history didn't guarantee survival—every victory had to be earned, not handed over.
Just like Mallorca's current good position, which was earned through hard work and dedication. Without that spirit of fight, how could Mallorca have reached where they were now?
After silently praying for Atlético Madrid's caretaker manager, Ranieri, and Guus Hiddink, who had stepped in mid-season to save Betis, José led the team to England for the second leg of the UEFA Cup.
For Mallorca, this was a period of consecutive victories, and they were in full swing. On the other hand, Leeds United was having a disastrous ti. After losing both in the UEFA Cup and the league, their loss to Mallorca was their third consecutive defeat, and it didn't stop there—they went on to lose 1-0 to Chelsea, 1-0 to Aston Villa, and suffered a 4-0 thrashing by Arsenal, leading to four consecutive league defeats and six across all competitions. Worse yet, they hadn't scored a goal in their last four matches...
This poor form ant Leeds had lost any hope of winning the league. They were falling far behind the top three, and even fourth place was in jeopardy. For Leeds fans, April was the darkest ti of the season...
"What tactics should we use for this match?" asked Natal after arriving in Leeds.
"Two goals at ho, none conceded... what else? Attack, of course!" José replied casually. "They have to go for it. If they just defend, we'll face more pressure, but if they're desperate to attack, they'll leave gaps in their defense. Even if we match them goal for goal, it's still a good deal. If we score one, they need to score four to win. If we score two, they need to score five... If we defend, when they pull one back, things will beco difficult for us."
As José's analysis unfolded, Natal began to understand why soone so young could beco a head coach while he was still an assistant—before coming to Leeds, Natal had only thought about playing to Mallorca's strengths through defense to beat Leeds, assuming that the two-goal advantage would suffice to secure their place in the final. But José's approach was more strategic, fully capitalizing on the away goal advantage.
At the sa ti, it minimized the pressure on the team. After all, that kind of tight defensive ga against Barcelona had been incredibly draining—not just physically, but ntally too. Playing like that occasionally was fine, but doing it every ga would surely wear out the players.
Players were human, not machines. Expecting them to be flawless in a crucial match was one thing, but expecting them to function like superheroes and robots throughout an entire season? That would only lead to disaster.
Before the second leg of the UEFA Cup began, the quarterfinals of the Champions League sparked excitent. For Spanish football, this was a golden mont, as all three teams involved erged victorious...
Valencia, after their dominant ho win, advanced to the semifinals despite a narrow away defeat to Lazio. Real Madrid, after being held to a 0-0 draw at ho by Manchester United, relied on Redondo's exceptional performance to beat the defending champions 3-2 away and also advanced. The team facing the most difficult situation, Barcelona, made a dramatic coback at ho against Chelsea.
Rivaldo and Figo scored early for Barcelona, putting them two goals up at halfti. A 60th-minute goal from Chelsea brought them back into the tie, but Van Gaal made a tily substitution, bringing on Dani, and Barcelona's famous front four began to find their rhythm. In the 84th minute, Dani headed in a Figo free-kick to equalize on aggregate. Despite Rivaldo missing a penalty later, Barcelona sealed a 5-1 win in extra ti to advance 6-4 on aggregate.
With three teams in the Champions League semifinals, this was shaping up to be a banner year for La Liga!
Now, all eyes were on Mallorca.
For Leeds players, the best they could do was try to muster whatever strength they had left for a better result. However, the pressure of their league form left them unable to fully focus on the UEFA Cup, and their chances of advancing weren't great. Even if they won the UEFA Cup, the rewards were nothing compared to those of the Champions League.
Just like Mallorca, who had been eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers, losing millions in appearance fees, broadcasting rights, tickets, and bonuses. Even winning the UEFA Cup wouldn't fully make up for that loss.
In any case, the rewards from the UEFA Cup were far inferior to those of the Champions League, which is why many teams went all-out for the latter but were less motivated for the forr. This led UEFA to reform the UEFA Cup and establish the Europa League, increasing the rewards to encourage more serious competition.
But that was a story for another ti.
For Leeds, with their current form, how much energy could they possibly devote to this ga?
Perhaps, if things went well, they could pull off a miracle. But with José's strategy of attacking instead of defending, their fate was already sealed.
Just four minutes into the match, Mallorca broke quickly on the counter. After receiving a pass from N'Gonga, Tristan surged into the box and was brought down by Woodgate, resulting in a clear penalty. The 40,000 Leeds fans fell silent in an instant.
If the penalty went in, Leeds would need to score four goals in the next 80 minutes to advance to the final—this match was all but decided from the start!
Stankovic kept his cool amidst the noise, sending the ball into the corner and past Martin with ease.
"Leeds have no chance now... To advance, they need to score four goals in 80 minutes, and while they might manage that, Mallorca's counter-attacks won't let them score freely. Just last week, Mallorca beat Barcelona 3-0 away with a relentless defense and sharp counters, handing Barcelona their biggest ho defeat of the season..." the ESPN comntator sighed, already certain that Leeds had no way of stopping Mallorca's montum.
And as the match progressed, it beca clearer. Although Norway's Bakke equalized for Leeds in the 16th minute from a corner, Mallorca didn't back down. Three minutes before halfti, Tristan showcased his skills, receiving a pass from Eto'o, first evading Miles and then powering through Woodgate's challenge to score a second goal, restoring Mallorca's lead!
That goal effectively sealed the fate of the match.
Leeds still needed four goals to advance, but now they only had 45 minutes to do so.
"In the second half, we can relax and defend," José smiled in the locker room.
His words brought a chuckle from the players, who knew exactly what was coming.
"I don't have many demands for the second half, just a few points to be careful of: First, avoid fouls and cards. I don't want anyone suspended for the final. Second, be cautious during tackles to avoid injuries. Leeds can't make it to the final anymore, so we need to stay safe for the more important final."
José's instructions made the second half feel like a formality.
Mallorca started using tight defense and ti-wasting passes, and despite Bakke's second goal in the 68th minute from another corner, Leeds had no further chances. The match ended 2-2, with Mallorca winning 4-2 on aggregate, advancing to the UEFA Cup final!
"A Spanish team, Mallorca, is also in the UEFA Cup final! This is a victory for Spanish football! This season has been a glorious one for La Liga, and Mallorca has preserved the hope of entering next season's UEFA Cup! Truly a Spanish year!" the comntator excitedly announced.
As for José, he wasn't thinking about the UEFA Cup spot. "The UEFA Cup spot? I don't care about that. All I care about is winning the UEFA Cup. That qualification is nothing to ..." he thought to himself.
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