Mateo Joseph’s loan away from Leeds United at Mallorca is yet to yield a first La Liga goal, but he was heavily involved last night against Espanyol in a 3-2 defeat.
As United toil in front of goal in the Premier League under Daniel Farke, the same can be said over in La Liga for Mateo Joseph.
The Spaniard left on loan during the summer window in search of more regular playing time. Heading to Mallorca, the side that finished 10th last season, but were the third-lowest scorers.
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Joseph’s goal drought at Elland Road was what brought Joel Piroe into the starting lineup. Now, after four games in La Liga, he’s yet to get off the mark.
Mateo Joseph’s Mallorca had a very tough first four games, playing all the top three: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Espanyol (REUTERS/Francisco Ubilla)
The Spain U21 star would have thought he was about to break his in a thrilling clash with Espanyol on Monday night, though. A wicked set-piece at 2-0 down shortly before half-time was destined for Joseph’s outstretched boot at the near post, only for Pol Lozano to drag him back. That foul resulted in a penalty that Vedat Muriqi converted.
The referee’s busy and controversial night continued minutes later. Espanyol’s Pere Milla fell to the ground off the ball, reacting by shouting “you’re terrible” at the referee, who instantly brandished a straight red card.
Seconds after Joseph was substituted in the 65th minute, Mallorca levelled as Muriqi was on hand again. However, the home side claimed victory thanks to another penalty in the 81st minute. Former Blackburn man Tyrhys Dolan was bundled over, as Kike Garcia converted.
For Joseph, it was another game without a goal. Although, but his 7.8 Sofascore rating, on top of this review from AS, suggests he had a strong showing:
“Very active, making runs, diagonal runs, and always looking for space. He had a great shot on goal that Dimitrovic saved, leading to the penalty that Muriqi converted.”
Goals will hopefully come for Mateo Joseph at Mallorca
This loan is what Joseph needed. However, for him to progress into a proper starting option for us next season, the goals need to come.
That was, in my opinion, the only thing his game was missing when he started early last season. The issue is that Joseph was compared with Piroe, who was slotting everything away off the bench.
A year of learning in La Liga is perhaps exactly what Joseph needs. A performance like this suggests he’s not far off.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!