Arrasate Admits Mallorca Are in Crisis Mode: 'This Is My Worst Moment as a Manager'
Jagoba Arrasate pulls no punches after a toothless Mallorca display at Celta Vigo, admitting the club are in real danger with 13 games left.
Jagoba Arrasate isn’t one for hiding behind excuses — and after a genuinely woeful afternoon in Vigo, he didn’t bother trying.
Nothing to Show for It
Mallorca left Balaídos with nothing. Not just no points — no shots on target either. Against a Celta side at home, that’s simply not good enough in La Liga, and Arrasate was the first to say so. He acknowledged his side were solid enough defensively but were absolutely toothless going forward, struggling to connect with their forwards and never really threatening to nick anything.
- Defensively: Committed enough, Celta didn’t carve them open repeatedly
- Offensively: A complete non-event — no real chances, no rhythm, no threat
- Overall: Celta were better, had more chances, and the result was fair
That last bit is telling. When a manager openly says the opposition deserved to win, you know it was grim viewing.
The Elephant in the Room
Mallorca are in the relegation zone. Last season they had a brilliant first half of the campaign — this year it’s gone the other way. What’s making it worse is their away form, which has been absolutely diabolical. You can’t just rely on home games to keep your head above water, and Arrasate knows it.
He was pretty direct about it all: ‘Hay que mirar a la situación de cara’ — you’ve got to face the situation head on. Saturday’s the day for the real conversation, he said, which suggests there’s a proper reckoning coming at the club.
His Lowest Point
Arrasate went as far as calling this his worst moment in management. Thirteen games left, in the drop zone, and the clock is ticking. That’s a heavy thing to admit publicly, but it also shows he’s not deluding himself. The job now is purely about survival — everything else can wait.
Penalty Row
There was a bit of needle over the spot-kick that opened the scoring. Arrasate felt Borja Iglesias went down too easily after a hand from Raíllo, and he wasn’t shy about saying so. He also flagged that Muri — presumably a big lad — tends to get whistled against him easily, and that Mallorca picked up too many cards overall. That said, he was careful to frame it properly: Celta were the better side, full stop.
Samu’s All Right, Mostly
One bit of good news — Samu was carrying a knock but it sounds more like wounded pride than a serious injury. Losing will do that to you.
What Happens Next
With 13 games to go and a squad that can’t seem to function away from home, Mallorca need answers — and fast. Arrasate’s honesty is refreshing, but the table doesn’t care about candour. Saturday’s meeting sounds like it could be a pivotal one.