La Masia Mingueza: The Barcelona B centre-back now crucial to Koeman – analysis

After failing to achieve promotion to the Spanish second division last season, some Barcelona B players decided that their spell at the club was over. Important players of the squad that was eliminated in the promotion playoffs like Monchu, Jorge Cuenca, Sergio Akieme, Ludovit Reis or Abel Ruiz left the club after not being granted first-team minutes.

But some younger players decided to have another try and keep working to get their chance. One of them was Óscar Mingueza, a 1999-born centre-back who spent the 2019/20 season fighting for a position at Barcelona B in the Spanish third division. He only played 1,241 minutes, the 13th most in the squad, but still felt he had something to offer.

And Mingueza’s determination was rewarded quite soon this season. After starting the season again in the B squad, the injury problems in the defensive line of the first team (Umtiti, Araújo and Piqué have suffered injuries), the lack of depth (Umtiti wasn’t really considered given his injury record and Ronald Araújo wasn’t expected to impress) and the difficulties Koeman faced to get the best out of some players (Sergiño Dest took some time to adapt and Lenglet isn’t having a great season) allowed Mingueza to play for the first team sooner than expected, making his La Liga and UEFA Champions League debut in late November and becoming an important player since then.

At the moment of writing, Mingueza has played 30 games for the first team (24 starts) and has quietly established as an important player for Ronald Koeman’s tactics while also earning a call from Spain U21 for the European Championship. In this tactical analysis, we’ll look at why he has gone from a third-tier backup player to starting games for Barcelona.

Profile and data analysis

Standing at 184 cm, Mingueza has good size but isn’t especially tall for a centre-back. He’s well-coordinated, quick in long distances and with just decent mobility. As a right-back, he has some struggles against quick wingers but his pace is good for a centre-back even if his acceleration is his main weakness. He’s strong enough to play in La Liga but not a powerhouse who will bully forwards and he isn’t very good in the air. 

Mingueza is an intelligent and well-educated player. Having played at every level for Barcelona since the U7s, he understands very well the requirements to play for the first team and adapts very quickly to any new challenge.