Reinildo, the red and white wall against Barça
Reinildo Mandava is emerging as a key piece in Simeone’s scheme to stop FC Barcelona. His speed, physical power and defensive solidity make him an ideal antidote against unbalanced players like Lamine Yamal, who has already demonstrated his potential in the previous league match at the Metropolitano.
In that match, Reinildo was the defender with the best statistical rating, demonstrating his ability to minimize the impact of the young blaugrana talent, being dribbled past only once and winning two of the four ’tackles’ he attempted.
This could be one of the last high-demand matches for Reinildo with Atlético, as the automatic renewal of his contract seems complicated. A clause that requires his participation in more than 50% of the matches, playing at least 45 minutes, seems unattainable, given that he has currently only played 37% of the matches.
To activate the automatic renewal, Reinildo would need to play 15 of the remaining 18 matches for more than 45 minutes, an unlikely scenario. Faced with this situation, both the player and the club will have to sit down to negotiate a possible contract extension.
The automatic renewal through the clause seems unfeasible, which leaves the future of the Mozambican defender up in the air. However, his performance and commitment to the colchonero team make him a valuable asset that the club will surely want to retain.
