"I don't want to see a player like this again." The extraordinary physical and psychological confrontation between Yerry Mina and Alvaro Morata, internationally renowned players and undoubtedly "animals" on the pitch, has left some residue on the pitch. The public, perhaps even over-the-top, attack comes from one of the most influential commentators on the national scene, Sky Sport commentator Fabio Caressa. The defense comes from the Colombian defender's agent, Simone Rondanini: "Yerry is a warrior. Every match for him is a duel, and even though he's sometimes criticized for certain behaviors, he gives everything for his team and thinks only of winning."
Recap of previous episodes: Como-Cagliari, Mina also subjected Morata to her now-familiar treatment: harsh physical contact, constant "trash talking" punctuated by mocking smiles, fouls suffered (few, in truth) accentuated by nasty falls. And then everything unseen by the cameras, VAR, and the referee, who forced the Spaniard, in the 62nd minute, to ask for a substitution. Dazed, furious, beaten up according to some, but not even a single warning.
The agent speaks – “We're moving forward, compact and confident, and we're working harder and harder for the next match. My style of play? Morata is a strong player. I love to play, giving it my all, putting in great intensity. If there's a foul or physical contact, it's part of the game, and I apologize.” Mina spoke thus after the match, words peppered with a final smile that remains to be interpreted. Simone Rondanini, who assists Mina, wanted to address the issue: “He's a warrior. Every match is a duel for him, and even though he's sometimes criticized, he gives everything for his team and only thinks about winning.” The Como match: “It was a good match against Morata, a strong player who's difficult to mark.” Diplomatic. And since business is business, Rondanini didn't hold back on the future: “Is he worth a big club? He's at the level of a big club, but that great club is Cagliari. He found himself here thanks to the club, the fans, the president, and the coach, who wanted him at that moment.”
Caressa's attack – "Mina is the one I absolutely cannot see on a Serie A football pitch again. What I saw during Como-Cagliari is unacceptable," said Fabio Caressa, who summarizes what happened in the league on his YouTube channel. Regarding the Mina-Morata match: "Mina said after the match: 'I don't look my mother or my sister in the face.' Mina is fine, she plays hard. If you have to play hard, play hard. But what if playing hard means throwing yourself on the ground with your hands in your face every minute? That's indecent. It's not okay because it's unsportsmanlike. If you want to play hard, you swear at the attacker, you do whatever you want, but simulation is not. And so we need to intervene. Players who go to the ground with their hands on their heads or faces, if they haven't been hit, should be sent off; it's extremely unfair behavior. And I urge Chief Referee Rocchi to say so starting from the first matchday of the second half of the season: it's no longer acceptable."
(Unioneonline)