"I think the importance of this match is something I don't even need to explain... For this match, we even gave up a previous league match. You should know, with the performance La Coruña showed in that match, we definitely had a chance to defeat them. I'm not one to let things go without compensation. If we make such a huge sacrifice and don't get a return, I'd be very unhappy... The return is this match against our opponents!"
"Attack them to beat them, Miguel, if there's a chance, you can push forward to assist and put pressure on their forwards... Don't worry about anything else, when you have the ball, if there's a chance to break through, take it. We have many players up front with breakthrough ability, and their defenders are also used to stopping the opponent's attack with fouls. Don't forget, this is our home ground! If they try to foul us, they'll regret it! Diego, you stay up front to draw their fire, Yuvan, Ariel, Samuel, when you get the ball, break through when you can, force them into fouls! Got it?"
"Got it!" The Mallorca players replied loudly in unison. In their last match, they played without pressure, and the veterans had a good rest. Now they were in top form, ready to defeat their opponents and gain a huge advantage going into the next stage!
Monaco had also been in great form recently.
Since the start of the season, they had been performing excellently in Ligue 1, currently sitting at the top of the standings, and it looked likely they would win the Ligue 1 title this season. Under these circumstances, Puel had increased his focus on the UEFA Cup. Simply winning Ligue 1 wouldn't be enough for him; if he could secure the double, including the UEFA Cup…
Every coach has ambitions, and Puel was no exception.
He had carefully watched the previous match between Mallorca and La Coruña, and naturally came to the same conclusion that José had hoped for: Mallorca was a courageous team that liked to attack, but their attacking efficiency was not very high. They struggled against tight defenses, and their defense was prone to mistakes...
"Well, if these guys go crazy, they'll be tough to deal with. La Coruña still managed to get a goal against them, and recently their win rate in La Liga has been high, so their morale is strong. We should play it safe away from home..." Puel thought.
"If their defense wasn't so poor, maybe they wouldn't even be in the relegation zone with their attacking ability. But this is good news for us. While they're fighting relegation, how much energy do they have left to focus on the UEFA Cup? This draw is actually quite favorable..." Puel thought with satisfaction.
After arriving on Mallorca Island with the team, Puel appeared cautious in an interview before the match: "Mallorca is a very good team, and we'll face a lot of trouble playing away... But the schedule is in our favor, and in the end, it will be Monaco who advances. Even playing away, we won't fear any opponent, we'll fight for the win."
When asked by reporters if the pressure would be high for Monaco to lose to a team like Mallorca, who was fighting relegation, Puel confidently replied: "There's no easy team in La Liga. I don't know much about Mallorca, but it's normal to face difficulties in La Liga. While I don't think we'll lose this match, even if we do, it's just a French team losing to a Spanish one."
José chuckled as he watched the local TV station's coverage of Puel's interview in his hotel room, then laughed and said to Natal: "Hey, buddy, what do you think Puel meant when he said they were going to fight for the win?"
Natal hesitated for a moment: "He wants us to think they're going to go all-out attack at Saint-Mois?"
"Bingo!" José snapped his fingers: "Looks like this guy fell for it. He thinks we're really a team that likes to attack madly... He's trying to make us think they'll go all out, but he's likely setting up a defensive counter-attack to catch us off guard. That way, we can push them back and take the advantage through strong attacks! Once we press them down, it won't be easy for them to break out!"
"José, you know we're not good at dealing with fast counter-attacks..." Seeing José's excited expression, Natal couldn't help but remind him.
"You're right, we're not good at fast counter-attacks... But is Monaco that good at it? If Henry were still there, I might be worried, he was a master at counter-attacking. But now Monaco's two main forwards are an old Italian guy, Simeone, and a Croatian striker, Pulso. They're both good forwards, but none of them are counter-attacking experts... The two guys we should worry about in counter-attacks are Galado and Jullier. These guys are fast, but they play in midfield! It's not that easy for midfielders to participate in a counter-attack. We just need to press them, and Yuvan's attacks will reduce Jullier's assists, while Galado will have Francesco to deal with him. Our defense won't be too high up, so we won't be in too much danger. Even if there's some danger… What match is there without some risk? Sometimes, you have to take the chance." José said nonchalantly.
Natal nodded thoughtfully, realizing that in the world of football, there's no such thing as a match that's "absolutely" winnable. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many upsets...
March 3rd, Saint-Mois Stadium.
Over 20,000 Mallorca fans packed the stadium, leaving the Monaco players a bit surprised. Despite the stadium being relatively small, considering Mallorca's position in the relegation zone, it seemed unusual that so many fans were still showing up. This showed how popular the team really was...
While the Monaco players were surprised, their coach was perplexed. The starting lineup he had received seemed drastically different from Mallorca's previous league match...
You see, despite José's bold comments at the press conference, he had actually made a clever move by releasing the information about five key players being injured. While most La Liga fans laughed at this news, Monaco's scouts and observers didn't catch on, which led to Puel's confusion: "They've changed five players? Five old guys? What's going on? Was that last match in La Liga just a smokescreen...?"
Unlike Puel's confusion, José appeared relaxed before the match. After briefing the team on tactics in the locker room, he headed to the coaching seat early and leisurely observed the entire stadium...
"This stadium is still a bit small." José pondered, watching the stands: "Plus, it's not even Mallorca's own stadium… If they want to build a new one, it shouldn't be a problem. The city government would probably be happy to cooperate. This island isn't small… but it would take a lot of investment. My entire fortune could barely cover the cost of a new stadium. But if we stick with the current one, we'll still have to share ticket revenue with the city government. Who knows, the club might end up going bankrupt and miss out on the Champions League."
José raised his hand and waved to the excited fans in the stands, who responded with a huge cheer. Mallorca's five-match winning streak had made José popular among the fans, and his status as a local was also a huge advantage. Every team's fans hope for a local coach, as it represents the city's honor!
"Such passionate fans, but this 20,000-seat stadium is too small." José sat down and continued his thoughts: "The Balearic Islands have nearly a million residents, with more than two-thirds living on Mallorca Island. Most of them live in Palma, as the rest of the island is mostly rural or mountainous. The city of Palma is the best place to live, and with a population of about 700,000, a stadium with a capacity of 40,000 isn't unreasonable. This 20,000-seat stadium is too conservative."
Usually, the ideal stadium capacity is one-twentieth of the local population, but Mallorca's case was different due to the island's tourism industry. The average income of the residents was relatively high, and most of them were Mallorca fans. The island's beautiful scenery and pleasant weather attracted tourists, but the entertainment options were not as developed as inland cities. For most Mallorca fans, watching the team's matches was the best way to spend their free time.
"If we don't make use of such a great fan environment, it'd be a waste. A fan community centered around the stadium could be a goldmine!" José thought to himself, though he knew that it would take a long road to achieve this goal. At the very least, building a new stadium would drain all his wealth, not to mention the other facilities.
"Maybe... I should focus on securing control of the club first. Juan, don't make things difficult for me, or we won't be able to discuss anything." José thought.
At this moment, a huge cheer erupted from the stands as the Mallorca and Monaco players walked onto the field. The UEFA Cup match was about to begin!
"Christianval, Marques, Barthez..." José silently watched the Monaco players walk onto the field. This defensive line was the one that Mallorca had to tear apart in this match to score plenty of goals.
José was also cautious about Monaco's attacking line, as players like Galado, Pulso, Jullier, and Simeone had strong attacking abilities. Even with a solid defense, Mallorca might not be able to prevent them from scoring, so at home, Mallorca needed to score more goals to ensure an advantage for the second leg.
Achieving this was no easy task, but in European-level matches, nothing was easy. No matter how difficult it was, José was determined to lead his team forward in the UEFA Cup!
This wasn't just for himself, it was for the future of Mallorca.