International break is a subject of debate every season. Whether they should all be in one month, whether they put players at risk of injury, whether some return to their teams at short notice... There are many issues to be resolved and in the end everything remains the same.
During this break, the two main teams in Madrid have been the most affected: Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid. Focusing on the first of the aforementioned, Simeone will not be able to field two of his regular starters in recent lineups. The first to be ruled out was Pablo Barrios, who is expected to be out for the next 2/3 weeks and will miss the games against Valencia, RB Leipzig, Rayo and Celta.
Now, in addition to this absence, we must add that of Renildo Mandava, who suffered a serious injury in Mozambique's victory over Guinea-Bissau. The Mozambican defender is entering the final year of his contract and wants to earn a place in the starting line-up by making progress and returning to the performance he had before the injury. However, this could put a stop to his goals.
The image that shakes the colchoneros
If you see the images of Reinildo Mandava's injury you would be in pain just thinking that it could happen to us. The action took place at the end of the first half when the score was 1-1. At that moment, Mama Baldé dribbles past the Mozambican goalkeeper and shoots into an empty goal and when the ball was about to go into the goal, Reinildo Mandava cleared it.
The sprint that allowed him to clear the ball caused the Atlético de Madrid player to hit the post with the momentum of his run. If you look at the photo of how the shin guard ended up , you would be horrified to imagine if Reinildo had not been wearing this protection, since his tibia suffered a tremendous injury.
An injury 'like Diego Costa'
Reinildo Mandava is one of those players who doesn't negotiate an inch of ground. His forcefulness has sometimes played tricks on him, but his level of performance is a fundamental aspect for a Simeone defender.
That's why if you see the injury he suffered with Mozambique, it's inevitable that it reminds you of the one suffered by Diego Costa in the 2013/14 season . In that season, Atlético de Madrid would end up winning LALIGA and that match in Getafe was fundamental for that. The Spanish-Brazilian scored the winning goal in the 84th minute and immediately afterwards the same thing happened to him as to Reinildo.
"Another cut won't do anything to the tiger," said Diego Pablo Simeone in the press conference afterwards. And something even more shocking happened with Reinildo Mandava in the match with his national team. He suffered the blow before half-time and, far from being substituted, he held on for the entire match and was the best player of the match.
There doesn't seem to be any medical report on the extent of the injury , but considering the wound, perhaps lining him up against Valencia is a bit hasty and risky. We will be waiting for the information that Atlético de Madrid gives us or that the Mozambican national team itself publishes.