Ernesto Valverde's not one to give too much information away in a press conference. With short, polite phrases, he edges away from controversy.
Therefore, when he says certain things you have to listen, like when he says that "Yerry Mina has still not played a friendly, let alone an official game. He needs to go through a period of adaption." The coach was clear: Mina needs more time to get in the team.
That doesn't mean he won't. In fact, Valverde said he has a chance of being in the squad against Espanyol, which makes sense given Vermaelen is injured and Mascherano is no longer part of the team.
However, he didn't want to compare the Argentine with the Colombian: "Mascherano knows how we play, he has the advantage in that sense. But we think that Mina can help us still. We’re contemplating the possibility of including him [against Espanyol]. He’s a player that has to enter the group’s dynamic. We think with his character he can give us a lot."
Valverde is not worried about Vermaelen's injury, either, because it's not long-term.
"Vermaelen is for two weeks so that is not too worrying," he added. "We're happy with the defenders we have, with Yerry Mina, who needs a period to adapt to our way of playing. At the moment we’re not thinking about anything other than getting Vermaelen back and having four centre-backs available again."
