After the first round of the Champions League, unpopularities exploded.

Arsenal's loss to Mallorca is considered an upset, Bayern was tied by Sparta Prague, Coruña was tied by Olympiacos, Liverpool was tied by Boavista, and Roma's loss to Real Madrid one-to-two at home seems not to be considered an upset...

What made the Mallorca people gloat was that after the lottery ceremony, he was excited to say "We have a great chance to qualify as second place, and both Mallorca and Panasinakos are worse than us." Schalke Zero Four lost 0-2 cleanly at home - they were beaten up by the Greek team Panasinakos, and Mallorca's achievements in defeating Arsenal at home made their general manager's words after the lottery ended so ridiculous...

"We are a very outstanding team. We were the second-place La Liga last season, and three teams entered the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, and two La Liga teams entered the semi-finals of the Champions League last season. We were able to finish second in such a difficult league, which has already shown our strength. I don't know why there are still people who think that the second-place La Liga is a weak team. I think this comment that judges a team based on their past impressions is quite absurd. In this regard, UEFA seems more professional because they evaluate Mallorca as a second-level team."

What Jose said in an interview after the game was undoubtedly a draw from the face of the media, especially the German media. After the draw ceremony, they all felt that Schalke had a good draw of 04 and had no opponents except Arsenal. However, now Arsenal lost and Schalke also lost. However, they thought that Mallorca and Panasinakos were tied for the first place - the same points and the same goal difference, but Panasinakos won away, so they ranked first in the ranking.

The four La Liga teams performed well. Except for La Coruña who suffered a draw, Mallorca beat Arsenal two goals at home, Real Madrid beat Roma 2-1 away, and Barcelona defeated Fenerbahce, who won 3-0 away, maintaining the strength of La Liga teams in the Champions League in the past few years!

For Mallorca, the next period of time will be a one-week double race. This intensive schedule, which is completely different from the previous two seasons, will definitely bring a new test to Mallorca. How to adapt to this intensive schedule is the next issue Jose needs to consider.

The goal of Mallorca's previous game was actually very simple, just to play well one game after another. The situation they faced was often very simple, including last season, just to keep playing the league well. The Copa del Rey actually had not had a big impact. Jose could selectively provoke the game and create an excellent lineup at the same time. However, now, when rotation is necessary, how to keep the team's combat effectiveness in rotation can still be maintained, this is the situation Jose has to face.

On the fourth day after defeating Arsenal at home, Mallorca welcomed his third opponent in the league at home, Alaves.

Alaves' strength has dropped a lot this season. The top scorer Moreno and the main wing attacker Contra were both poached by AC Milan. Without these two absolute main players, it is normal for the strength to decline. However, this team has performed quite well after the start of La Liga this season. They defeated the promoted team Tenerife and the strong Real Sociedad respectively in two consecutive games, and tied for fourth place with a score of 2-0, like Mallorca...

The so-called dignity of a small team is roughly like this - at the beginning of the league, it performs well and occupies the top few places in the standings, winning the boast and wonders of fans and the media, and then lacks the momentum and slowly slides down. In the end, it can only get a position that is still well ranked... Often, this position is also the fate of a small team. Occasionally, it is good luck, or it has played 200% of its ability, or the giants are in poor condition, and they finally grab a position in the top few places, and there will often be a big decline after the next season...

Just like Mallorca in the past, it occasionally amazes the world, but most of the time it remains unknown - what Jose wants to do is to change Mallorca's fate!

In this game, Jose made adjustments in the midfield and forward line, Capdvilla took a rotation and rested, Karaze served as the left back, the center backs were Nadal and Nino, right back George, midfielder Pablo Garcia, Mota and Novo were the three midfielders, Ronaldo, Etoo and Krashnić formed three forwards, using a dexterous and fast attack to deal with the opponent.

Alaves was loaned to defender Kolocini from AC Milan this season, and Ivan Alonso, as the main scorer, still plays an offensive style, but his scoring ability has declined a little, and his defense has been much more stable.

In this game, Mallorca patiently dealt with his opponent, and after getting the ball, he quickly completed the attack through the midfield, taking the defensive counterattack, but he played more aggressively.

Nadal and Nino joined forces to stare at the opponent's center Alonso. The cooperation between the two of them is still more tacit. On the front line, Ronaldo Etoo and even Krasnic's skills have caused huge trouble for Alaves' defense. In the end, Mallorca won the game in the most labor-saving way. Relying on one goal from Etoo and Ronaldo, Mallorca defeated Alaves two goals at home and won three consecutive victories. With Celta being tied in this round, Villarreal lost to Tenerife two away goals, and La Coruña lost to Bilbao at home. Mallorca dominated the standings with nine points, and after the 98-99 season, he ranked first in the standings for the first time!

Real Madrid and Barcelona continued their hard-working careers. Real Madrid lost 1-3 to the promoted player Betis, Barcelona was tied by Osasuna away from home, Real Madrid fell into the relegation zone surprisingly, and Barcelona was only ranked eighth...

However, Valencia won this round and rose to fourth place, only two points behind Mallorca.

"The giants are not in good shape this season, and we can't be too optimistic. After all, fighting on both sides is a brand new test for us. The beginning of the season is a hurdle. If we can adapt, we won't fall behind in the middle of the season."

This is a summary of Jose's internal meeting after the game. After all, the season has just begun. If it is so glamorous now, maybe Mallorca will die miserably at the end of the season...

After the match against Alaves, Mallorca immediately flew to Greece to prepare for the second round of the Champions League. No one expected that this game would be a group first battle. In the comments and predictions before the start of the Champions League, this was a game "a match between two teams who lost the first round and worked hard to qualify for the League Cup"...

"Don't underestimate Panasinakos, otherwise Schalke Zero Four is our lesson. Don't forget that this is the Champions League. Each team participating in the Champions League is the second-place champion or the top-ranking teams in their respective leagues. There will be no so-called weak teams in this kind of game. If those weak teams are weak teams, we Mallorca will still be a weak team. We have nothing to be proud of, and qualifying in the group is our current goal. We are all unfamiliar with Panasinakos. The only thing we know is that their offensive ability is not bad or even excellent, so on the away game, my bottom line is to get a point, at least not lose to them. It is not a wise move to fight them against them on the away game. Use defensive tactics, don't give them too many opportunities."

It’s not impossible for Jose to defeat Panasinakos, but this team has no pressure in Greece. At the same time, they are also regular visitors to the Champions League. They have much more experience than Mallorca. They beat Schalke Zero Four away in the first round. In this game, they must hold back their energy to kill Mallorca at home, so that they can occupy a favorable terrain in the group qualifying.

Fighting hard with such a team? Even if you win, it will not be worth the loss. A draw is enough. This will save physical fitness to deal with the next league. You must know that the opponents in the next league are not easy to deal with, and it is not enough for Villarreal. Celta and Barcelona are both difficult opponents, and they are still away...

It is precisely because of this consideration that Jose has arranged a more conservative lineup in Greece.

Goalkeeper Franco, defenders Campano, Capdvilla, Nadal and Van Biten, midfielders Carazze, Mota and Pablo Garcia, Ronaldo broke out one by one, and Etoo and Luke played the forward partner.

This season, Jose intends to reuse Campano more. Although the player is not very talented, he is quite steady and diligent, and has strong tactical execution ability. In Jose's eyes, Campano is a bit like Inter Milan's captain Zanetti. Although he is far less outstanding in some aspects, he is as reassuring as Zanetti.

When you need to attack on the wing, use George and when you need to be more stable, use Campano. This is how Jose uses these two full-backs.

Sure enough, after the start of the game, Panasinacos began to use the advantage of home court to continuously launch fierce attacks. Croatian striker Frovic and Greek international Kalanigons were their main offensive forces. They have truly threatened Mallorca's goal several times, rather than scratching the tickles through the shoe...

"The attacks of these Greeks are indeed very fierce!"

After Frovich's lob shot outside the penalty area was almost lifted out of the crossbar by Franco, Natal couldn't help but sigh.

Jose shrugged his shoulders. Of course, the opponent looked very fierce with the help of home court. Moreover, the Greek team is not bad at all. It is not a coincidence that they won the European Cup championship in the next 2004. Although they have no stars in the team, they are all powerful players. If such players are in good condition, they will not be much worse than the stars.

However, Jose is not very worried about this situation. Mallorca himself is not unfamiliar with this kind of situation of being suppressed. Both central defenders are players with strong front-line defense capabilities, and both full-backs are also very stable. In addition, the protection of several midfielders at the front of the penalty area will not give the opponent too many good opportunities. At the same time, it is also a test for Franco.

After Caranigons' long shot was once again snatched by Franco, Jose touched his chin: "Leo seems to be getting better and better. His reaction is stronger than before, and he has a position..." There was a sentence he didn't say, at least Franco now seems to be better than the Franco he knows.
Chapter completed!