Óscar Mingueza has gone five games without playing a single minute for Barça. Despite the abundant absence of central defenders (Eric, Umtiti, Lenglet) and the scarcity of full-backs, Xavi has not had him since the Cup match in Linares, in which he was not successful in the local 1-0. The defender from Santa Perpetua de Moguda did not move from the bench against Granada, Alavés and Atlético de Madrid, in the League; against Madrid in the Super Cup; and against Athletic in San Mamés in the Copa del Rey elimination.
Mingueza, in short, has played 349 minutes in 15 games with Xavi; half that with Koeman, who gave him 694 minutes. The Dutchman, his godfather in elite football, made him play almost 2,800 minutes last year, even though he made his debut well into the season, in Kiev against Dinamo.
A change of coach that he applauded in his day has not been good for Mingueza. “The atmosphere that we needed did not exist. The locker room needed a change. People were not happy. And when you’re not okay and things don’t work out, you need a change. The team stopped trusting the idea, in the end each one tried to solve their own”, he told TV3 in a start of sincerity on November 18, even before Xavi’s debut as Barça coach. Days later, yes, Mingueza clarified some statements that, in his opinion, had been misunderstood: “I am very grateful to Koeman, he always helped me a lot, on and off the field. I just wanted to say that when the team is in a bad dynamic, each one tries to do more than they can or more than their share, but I wish Koeman and his staff the best, I can’t say anything bad about them “.
The winter winter market gave Mingueza a chance to leave. Mateu Alemany offered him to Valencia, but Bordalás did not see it clearly and rejected his incorporation. The center-back did not see his loan to Girondins clearly either and decided to stay at Barça, but Xavi has not taken it into account despite the absence of players who now, like Eric Garcia, return, so it will be even more difficult. Mingueza and Riqui Puig have not appeared on the pitch since Linarejos’ bad first half.
Mingueza has already overcome a similar situation in the subsidiary, where he himself recognized that he was about to leave. “At Barça B I thought about looking for a way out because I played little. I’m not saying that I had offers but the idea of looking for them crossed my mind, because in the end it’s in the games where you grow and where people see you. I also recognize that my attitude was not the best, in the end I know that if you do not play it is not just for one thing…”, he came to say in an interview in La Vanguardia. If he wants to have an opportunity again, the attitude will come first. Despite the fact that in April 2021 it was renewed until 2023, with a clause of 100 million, if he does not have minutes, this summer will be his departure.
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