Yerry Mina debuts at Camp Nou with no stage fright

Yerry Mina made his debut at Camp Nou under complex circumstances. Without Pique, Vermaelen and Umtiti, and paired with Lucas Digne at centre-back in a complicated game. However the Colombian survived the tricky situation and even came close to scoring on his full debut.

The first feelings are that he will need a period of adaption not just to Barca but to European football. The Colombian is a player that feels comfortable touching the ball before passing it. A habit that contrasts with Valverde’s rapid circulation system.

Like Pique, he gains speed as he advances with the ball but is not particularly fast when he has to chance pace in just a few seconds.

Mina is a centre-back with a big stride, although his adventures forward were more limited than at Palmeiras.

The defender is clearly someone who believes in himself and his Camp Nou bow didn’t see him bow under the pressure. His passing, sometimes using a no-look technique. shows it.

He moved up the right hand side occasionally with Busquets dropping in to cover.

In a one-on-one battle with Angel Rodriguez he had some problems, but in general was able to solve them and dominated in aerial situations.

In the opposition’s are he came close to scoring twice, with a shot that was blocked and a header wide.

The Colombian was well received by Camp Nou too. He played with authority and no stage fright, although we are yet to see his most exuberant version.