Chapter 752: The Battle of the Shooters
When Conch Stadium became the stadium for the final of the 0708 Champions League, Mallorca fans began to celebrate again, which is also something to celebrate.
For Mallorca players, this impact is not particularly big. In the world of football, a team may be beyond recognition in a year and a half. However, it is also an incentive for Mallorca, because Jose has already said something during the training camp after the New Year.
"If we can defend our title again this season... we will participate in the Champions League next season with the defending champion, and the Champions League final will be held at our home court again. What a pleasure!"
As soon as this was said, all the Mallorca players were stunned - what does this mean? This means that Mallorca is likely to accomplish the three consecutive championships of the Champions League! In the more than 50 years of the Champions League, only Real Madrid, Ajax and Bayern have accomplished such a feat! Other teams such as Milan's two Liverpool, who have performed well in the Champions League are just successful in the defending Champions League...
This is a crazy idea!
However, if you think about it carefully, this is really one of the goals that Mallorca can pursue next. They have won the Champions League, League Champions League, various Super Cup Champions, King's Cup Champions, Toyota Cup Champions, Club World Cup Champions, and have won three consecutive championships in the league and successfully defended the Champions League. Apart from the three consecutive championships in the Champions League, there is nothing that can particularly stimulate their results...
"So we have to play well this season, in the league, we have to try our best to expand our advantages, and then attack with all our might in the Champions League! That's our next goal!"
It is precisely because of this idea that Mallorca's players immediately started their own training after the New Year. In previous years, Mallorca's condition was not very good after the New Year, but gradually became better and better. This season, when he started sprinting ahead of schedule in the first half of the season, Mallorca also showed excellent condition immediately after the winter break!
On January 7, Mallorca ushered in the 17th round of the league at home, against Athletic Bilbao at home.
In this game, Jose did not keep his strength. He sent all the main players. Torres continued his previous excellent form. He scored two goals in a row with his head and foot kicks in the first half. In the second half, Barack's long shot and the opponent's defender's own goal scored two more goals for Mallorca. Mallorca defeated Athletic Bilbao four-two at home. Mallorca expanded his winning streak in the league to ten games!
However, other strong teams, because the influence of the winter break has not yet passed, have lost their chains in this round...
Sevilla lost to Zaragoza 1-2 away, and the points gap with Mallorca widened to four points, Real Madrid also lost to La Coruña two away goals, and the points gap with Mallorca widened to nine points, and Barcelona's performance was also average. They tied one-to-one away with Getafe, and the points gap with Mallorca widened to six points...
When you are in trouble, we will not slow down and wait for you - if you do this, I will be stupid - Jose thought so in his heart.
On January 10, Mallorca ushered in the first round of the fifth round of the Copa del Rey. Their opponent is La Coruna. La Coruna is now like Mallorca before, always in the middle, but has the ability to be a disruptor. Their winning rate against weak teams is not very high, but they can always perform well against strong teams. For example, they defeated Real Madrid cleanly in their home court in the last round.
However, Jose does not intend to send his main players in this game. His goal is to win the league and the Champions League. He is not very interested in the Copa del Rey. At the same time, so many powerful substitutes must give them a chance to play, right?
For Jose, such a game has many functions, such as making Puerta more familiar with the left-back position, such as allowing outstanding young players such as Silva Iniesta to maintain their form, such as allowing top players who need to compete for the main position to get more opportunities to play... These are all very important.
Mallorca, who sent all the substitutes, scored 2-1 in the away game, Claudio Coruña, Silva and Iniesta, each scored a goal. Although Ronaldo did not score, he contributed two assists, which is what Jose hopes to see. Now this offensive combination and another offensive combination, Jose is basically used separately. This can use the main lineup while also practicing new tactics, and can be used when needed - in this way, when facing important games, he can also make the opponent unable to touch the tactics he will use, increasing the opponent's preparation pressure.
After the first leg of the Cup, Jose took the whole team to Sevilla. Now Sevilla is the second place in the league. If he beat Sevilla away, Mallorca will expand his lead again - this advantage is not a little bit, and it will be even bigger...
Considering that after playing Sevilla's next league game, I will play Real Madrid at home, if I can win again, tsk tsk...
Mallorca fans are dreaming, but it is no wonder that the momentum Mallorca is showing now does have the taste of encountering gods and killing gods. Although Sevilla performed well this season, they had lost three consecutive times against Mallorca before. They also lost in the last round. The momentum and condition are obviously not Mallorca's football team that has reached its peak.
In this game, Mallorca made a slight adjustment to the lineup, Alonso and Kaka both took the bench, while Silva and Iniesta appeared, and the forward partner became Torres and Ronaldo. Faced with Sevilla's not-so-good defense line, Jose's intention to play on the ground offensive stream was already very obvious.
Sevilla's performance this season is one level stronger than the previous two seasons, thanks to their offense this season that has reached its peak. Fabiano and Canute's forward team scores are becoming more and more stable. Alves Navas and others also have excellent top-level standards. They have scored 36 goals in the league so far, just like Barcelona's goal number, second only to Mallorca, who has scored 44 goals in just 15 rounds of the league - offense is their foundation.
However, Jose is really not worried that this opponent can cause too many threats. Even Barcelona could not use attacks to make Mallorca suffer losses, let alone Sevilla, who is still one level away?
In terms of offense, La Liga is still the strongest in Mallorca and Barcelona. Barcelona scored the same number of goals as Sevilla this season when the main striker Etoo is absent from most of the games, which is enough to prove how outstanding their offensive ability is. If Etoo is there, Barcelona will score for 40 goals, so in fact, Barcelona's condition this season is not much problem, it is just torture of injuries.
I want to rely on offense to make Mallorca feel troublesome... Sevilla is still far from it!
On January 14, two teams with the most goals this season started a contest at Pisjuan Stadium.
This game is also a contest between the top two scorers. Sevilla's Canute has scored 14 goals in the league so far, ranking second in the scorers' list, while Torres's form is better. Starting from the seventh round, except for two league games that were not played, he has scored nine consecutive league goals in the league, including three doubles. That is to say, he scored 12 goals in these nine rounds, plus four goals in the first six rounds, he has scored 16 goals in the league and 16 goals in the fifteen rounds of the league. Such a terrifying goal rate is enough to prove that Torres' current state has reached his peak!
In addition to his outstanding performance at the club, Torres scored three goals in the World Cup in the past six months and was Spain's number one scorer - he is now Spain's well-deserved number one striker.
Canut scored fourteen goals in the seventeenth round of the league, which was also a very impressive result. At the same time, since the beginning of the league, he has never scored in two consecutive rounds - this is even better than Torres. Although Torres scored four goals in the first six rounds, he did not score in the fifth and sixth rounds.
According to the rules, Canut was able to score goals in this round of league, which also made him full of confidence before the game began.
In fact, he did this.
"One to zero! Sevilla leads at home, and the goal is Frederick-Canut!"
In the 21st minute, the live commentator of Pisjuan Stadium shouted loudly, and on the field, Canut was running, celebrating his fifteenth goal of the season with excitement.
Although this goal was a penalty kick - a minute ago, Canute passed the ball directly in the midfield, and Fabiano broke into the penalty area and saved the shot by Van der Sar. However, when Van der Sar continued to attack and wanted to hold the ball, he threw down Navas who followed. The referee decisively awarded the penalty kick. Canute took the penalty kick and scored the first record for Sevilla!
"Ha, Fernando, that guy is only one goal away from you."
Ronaldo joked with his young forward partner that he did not expect to win the top scorer this season, but he did not expect to win the La Liga top scorer. After all, he did not play much now, and the young Spanish striker performed so well...
"I'm not worried." Torres curled his lips: "It's just one ball, I'll expand to two balls soon!"
And the players in Mallorca have similar mentality to Torres at the moment - they started celebrating just one of us? Don't joke, we scored goals in every La Liga game this season, and the average goal is nearly three in each game! Just one goal? Alas, we are embarrassed to say it...
The players in Mallorca are very proud now, but they have the capital to be proud of - because they do have this ability!
Ten minutes after Sevilla scored, Mallorca scored.
Barack's midfield passed the ball directly to Ronaldo who was pulling back to receive the ball. After Ronaldo quickly turned around and passed the ball in half at the first time. Silva, who was inserted on the left, dribbled the ball at high speed and broke through at high speed. Under the front and back blocking of Navas and Alves, he still found an opportunity to pass the ball, and then raised his foot to pass the ball into the penalty area...
When he broke through, Torres ran back and forth in the penalty area. After the ball was passed, Torres quickly took a big step and threw the defender who was defending him by half a meter away, and then headed the ball sideways to attack the goal!
The ball flew trickyly to the back point, bypassed Palop's hand, and then flew into Sevilla's goal...
Chapter completed!