Chapter 193: The Unwilling Alonso

Mallorca vs. Manchester United, Barcelona vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, Deportivo La Coruña vs. Liverpool.

These were the matchups for the Champions League quarterfinals.

With four La Liga teams making it into the final eight, Spain was ecstatic, especially compared to their Serie A rivals, who had been completely wiped out in the group stage. The Spanish media was already boasting about the possibility of dominating the semifinals with all four spots, even though none of their opponents were pushovers. Still, the prospect of an all-La Liga semifinal seemed highly probable.

The two-legged ties were scheduled for April 3rd and April 10th. For Mallorca, this posed a serious challenge. Between these Champions League clashes, they had to face Deportivo La Coruña away, followed by a home game against Valencia. With several tough matches ahead, including a visit to Real Madrid in the penultimate round of the league, Mallorca's five-point lead at the top was anything but secure.

As for their closest title rivals, Valencia and Real Madrid, Valencia had the best schedule. They could fully focus on La Liga, with only Mallorca and Deportivo as tough opponents in their final seven games. Real Madrid's schedule wasn't bad either—Mallorca and Deportivo were their biggest threats in the last eight rounds. Compared to them, Mallorca's run-in was brutal.

"No matter what, we have two home games before facing Manchester United—I want six points from them!" José declared fiercely during training. Before traveling to Old Trafford on April 3rd, Mallorca had back-to-back home games against Real Sociedad and Espanyol. One was a relegation struggler, the other a mid-table side. Securing six points would allow Mallorca to conserve energy in the league when the Champions League began.

However, at this stage of the season, relegation-threatened teams were the hardest to deal with. Real Sociedad, sitting at 36 points, were out of the drop zone but only four points ahead of last-placed Tenerife. For them, even a single point at Mallorca would be a victory.

Real Sociedad had quality players—forward De Paula and midfielder Aranburu were solid La Liga players. Attacking midfielder De Pedro was a current Spanish international, and young midfielder Xabi Alonso had cemented himself as a starter this season. Yet, for the past three seasons, Sociedad had been stuck in a relegation battle, barely surviving each time. For a club that had won La Liga twice and finished third as recently as 1997-98, it was a humiliating situation.

This season was no different. They started with a seven-game winless streak—two draws, five losses, bottom of the table. A brief three-game winning run was followed by another losing streak. Fortunately, in the winter transfer window, the board made some bold moves. They signed striker Darko Kovačević, who had struggled at Juventus, and young Turkish forward Nihat Kahveci. Kovačević, despite his failed stint in Italy, quickly regained form at Sociedad, scoring five goals so far and helping them collect crucial points. They looked likely to survive yet again.

But even with their recent improvements, Sociedad wouldn't surrender easily in this away fixture.

Relegation battlers needed to fight for every possible point. That mentality didn't guarantee survival, but without it, relegation was certain.

As one of the three Basque clubs in La Liga, Real Sociedad shared the region's trademark resilience and toughness.

The other two Basque teams—Athletic Bilbao and Alavés—were performing well this season, but both had struggled against Mallorca. Alavés had lost 4-0 twice, nearly developing a psychological block against Mallorca. Meanwhile, José had maintained a strong record against Bilbao since taking over. This didn't bode well for Sociedad as they headed to Son Moix.

"This team has some decent players. Why aren't they doing better?"

José reviewed Sociedad's lineup. He had once considered signing Kovačević as a backup striker but gave up due to his non-EU status. The same went for Nihat. As for Xabi Alonso—José had been keeping tabs on him for a long time.

With these players, plus De Pedro and other solid contributors, José believed he could push Sociedad into European qualification contention every season, maybe even challenge for the Champions League spots.

"What a waste of talent."

That thought was still lingering in his mind as the match kicked off.

José fielded his strongest lineup—this wasn't the time for rotation. He was more concerned about whether to rest key players against Espanyol to keep them fresh for Manchester United. After all, getting a result at Old Trafford wouldn't be easy.

Sociedad played cautiously, sitting deep in defense. Kovačević spearheaded the attack, with Nihat roaming behind him, Alonso orchestrating in midfield, and De Pedro linking up play. The rest focused on defending.

Mallorca had grown accustomed to breaking down defensive setups. They rarely relied on crossing from wide areas since their strikers weren't dominant in aerial duels. Instead, they used quick interchanges, sudden vertical passes, and individual dribbling to create openings.

Alonso worked tirelessly, pressing hard despite not being a natural defensive midfielder. Sociedad mostly used him as a workhorse, even though his long passing and playmaking glimpses showed his true potential. Unfortunately, his coach hadn't recognized this.

"What a waste. Making a deep-lying playmaker do all the dirty work? No wonder Sociedad keeps struggling," José muttered.

A player like Alonso, if used correctly, could elevate a team's entire midfield. When José returned to Mallorca, he immediately built his team around Thiago Motta, ensuring he had defensive cover so he could focus on dictating play. With Motta pulling the strings, Mallorca's attack became more structured. Even after signing future stars like Ronaldinho and Eto'o, Motta remained indispensable—the metronome of Mallorca's midfield.

José believed Alonso had even greater potential than Motta. Yet here he was, stuck doing grunt work. Would this misuse ruin his development?

But then again, in the future, Alonso would become a world-class midfield general. Perhaps being forced into different roles now helped shape him into the complete player he would become.

Despite playing as a defensive midfielder, Alonso still displayed his vision. In the 21st minute, after intense Mallorca pressure, Capdevila broke down the left and squared the ball for Eto'o to score the opener.

However, just minutes later, Sociedad equalized on a counterattack.

Alonso intercepted Motta's pass and immediately launched a pinpoint long ball to Nihat on the flank. The Turkish forward sprinted down the wing and crossed for Kovačević, who outmuscled Van Buyten to head the ball into the net.

While Van Buyten had the height, Kovačević had the strength and experience, completely overpowering him in the duel.

"Even after failing in Serie A, Kovačević's physicality still dominates in La Liga," José mused. "I should bring in some Serie A-caliber defenders—they're built for this."

Despite conceding, José wasn't worried. Sociedad had merely capitalized on a moment of brilliance from their key players. That wouldn't be enough to trouble Mallorca over the full 90 minutes.

Sure enough, Mallorca's attack intensified. They pressed aggressively in the final third, while Van Buyten stuck close to Kovačević, and Campano shadowed Nihat. With Sociedad's main outlets locked down, Mallorca attacked freely.

Just before halftime, Ronaldinho's shot deflected off a defender for a corner. Van Buyten got his revenge, outjumping Kovačević to power a header into the net—2-1 Mallorca!

In the second half, Mallorca tightened their grip. Both Nihat and Kovačević were closely marked, and every time Alonso received the ball, two players pressed him immediately. The tactic paid off—Mallorca's third goal came from a high press.

Motta dispossessed Alonso and played a quick through ball into the box. Luck converted on the rebound after Ronaldinho's initial shot was saved. 3-1 Mallorca!

As Ronaldinho and his teammates celebrated, Alonso stood frozen, frustration written all over his face. His mistake had led to the goal.

"Don't dwell on it, Xabi," captain De Pedro patted him on the shoulder. "Just release the ball quicker next time. That way, they won't have a chance to steal it."

Alonso nodded silently, then glanced at Motta, who was younger than him yet already one of La Liga's top playmakers.

"If I had the right support, I wouldn't be any worse than him," Alonso thought bitterly.