The Colombian player could get more minutes in the next and decisive clashes of the Catalan team

The debut match as titular of Yerry Mina in the FC Barcelona meant a point of balance in the calendar of the ‘culé’ set. At the end of the game against Getafe, the technician, Ernesto Valverde, highlighted "we had this week marked for a long time in order to fulfill our objectives, considering how the month has come".

'Txingurri', as Valverde is known, referred to the series of matches that generated physical wear and tear on the squad, which were evident in the game on Sunday, in which Mina looked like one of the freshest.

The Colombian player showed that he could appear in unusual lineups like those of last weekend in which he combined as center with the Frenchman Lucas Digne, accustomed to play as a left-back. On the other hand, the soccer player gave account of an offensive potential in the collections of free shots that before were limited to Piqué. The man of Guachené, Cauca, managed to add three attempts of attack in a single game. All this in his debut.

"This is long, we are going step by step," said Mina at the end of the game, in which he confessed having started nervous "because being in a club like this is an indescribable happiness." Hopefully, he can improve, as well as the team, and the results of the collective accompany will evidence his performance.

What are Barcelona’s challenges?

Now, after a long time, the team can count on a week without encounters. Subsequently, the team must face the next league commitment on Saturday as a visitor against Eibar, then the team will travel to London and play against Chelsea the first match of the Champions League round of 16.

"There is still a long way to go," insists coach of the ‘culé’ team, referring to the start of the second round of the local league. In this league, their biggest pursuer, Atlético de Madrid has taken advantage of two consecutive games to discount four of the eleven points that distanced them. The Catalan press already points out the date of Sunday, March 4, day in which both squads will meet for the definition of the national league.

The match will take place a week and a half before the return match against Chelsea, which will define the final step to the next round of Champions: the quarterfinals. To be the winner in their respective match, Barcelona would play the first game of the semifinals between April 24 and 25. The game will be just a few days after the final of the Copa del Rey, which already has place and official date: April 21 in the Metropolitan Wanda (just the stadium of the 'colchonero' team).

Hence, this is why it was so important the initial presentation of Mina, chosen in the eleventh titular players. The coach will be able to alternate him with Gerard Piqué, Samuel Umtiti, and Thomas Vermalen; especially, when facing the significant encounters that the Catalan group has. Among them, the classic against Real Madrid that was signed for May 6.

Latin American Post | Federico Duarte
Translated from "

Los desafíos de Mina y el Barça "