“There is a saying in Colombia: no one can take away my mother’s food. It means that we fight to the death, that we defend everything as long as we can. Or that you defend the shirt until the end”. Words of Yerry Mina way back in 2018 when, after a few months at theEvertonhe was asked what he thought of the challenge he faced with the Chelsea by Eden Hazard. A challenge he also saw on the pitch Olivier Giroudthe Colombian defender’s next opponent at San Siro, the venue of Milan-Cagliari and of the new fight that will see Guachené’s class of ’94 as protagonist. And Mina will try to keep the food in her hands, preventing Giroud from being able to steal it from her in the form of a goal.
There is no three without four
Second in the standings in Serie A against the rossoblù in search of decisive points in the fight for salvation. On the one hand the Rossoneri of Stefano Pioli, with the environment experiencing moments of difficulty and a future that will see the coach say farewell to Milan at the end of the season. On the other the Cagliari by Claudio Ranieri, with three days to go in the championship and the match at San Siro, the first crossroads on the road to stay in the top flight. Inside a match within a match, the one between Mina and Giroud. Yet another for the Colombian defender against a center forward of international caliber and physically imposing. Since he arrived in Sardinia last January, Mina has faced in order Lukaku, Osimhen, Scamacca, Thuram And Vlahovic, to name the most important, often using the weapon of provocation and constant breathing down our necks. And just as often emerging victorious from individual battles, even if the team results did not always bring a smile. Now it’s the turn of Milan’s French striker, with a flavor of the Premier League that comes from the memories of previous matches, as well as that first time in a friendly match between the French team and Colombia in March 2018. The first meeting, not to mention say clash, between Mina and Giroud. The first of three victories for the teams with the rossoblù defender on the pitch, who always took home the full spoils when he faced the rossoblù center forward today. With a frame that looks like the perfect copy of Minaismthat defensive philosophical current that focuses everything on aggression and win the battle first with the mind and then on the pitch. Head to head, Mina facing Giroud after a protest from the Frenchman for a foul not called on a teammate, the desire not to be overwhelmed by the history of others and by the superior values on paper. Succeeding, three times out of three.
Previous
That friendly between France And Colombia at the Stade de France it ended 3-2 in favor of the South Americans. With one of the two goals of the future World Champions coming from the center forward now at Milan. But still the first victory in three meetings between Mina And Giroud. Who then found themselves in the Premier League, the Colombian wearing the shirtEverton and the French with that of Chelsea. And that, again, saw the Cagliari defender smile after the ninetieth minute. In March 2019, when the Toffees coached by Marco Silva beat the Londoners 2-0 and Mina found himself facing Giroud in the last twenty-five minutes, after canceling Gonzalo Higuain for the first hour or more of the game. Then in December 2020, when Everton’s Carlo Ancelotti won 1-0 and the Colombian defender clashed with the French center forward throughout the match, emerging victorious from the battle. Precedents that invite optimism, but at the same time clash with the more or less recent ones of Cagliari at San Siro. The last one in the Italian Cup, when Mina was still just an idea for the rossoblù and Giroud spent the whole match observing his teammates from the bench. A 4-1 for the historyless Rossoneri, the lowest point of the season for Ranieri’s men in terms of will and attention. Now, however, Sir Claudio has one more man, above all a fundamental leader in the race for salvation. That Yerry Mina so important that it must be managed with care in every week of training, because there is a Cagliari with and a Cagliari without him and the latter has always suffered. Because we need to stop Giroud and not only that, keeping his teammates on edge and trying to win the challenge against the Frenchman once again. He returned to scoring against Genoa, but hasn’t scored in two consecutive games since last January against Empoli and Roma. And that, unlike the Colombian, he has a future written far from Serie A, direction MLS, while that of the rossoblù defender is still to be discovered. There is a salvation to be conquered, there is one Rossoneri reaction to the criticisms to be postponed: it’s Milan against Cagliari, it’s above all Mina against Giroud.
Matteo Zizola
