“I’ve practically forgotten the injury”, said Iniesta.
He hopes that FC Barcelona can continue with the good results in Primera league. “I hope we’re all able to play at Riazor. We have to get the three points” he said. Use online betting (click here) at Top Bet and bet on who you think will win.
Proud of La Mancha and Catalonia
For ‘France Football’, he said: “I was born in La Mancha, and I grew up in Catalonia and I’m delighted to live here. I have spent more time in Barcelona than Albacete. I’m Spanish, but I’m also Catalan. I feel the same”. On Thursday he elaborated on this by saying “it is a question of sentiments. That’s very logical. Those who don’t want to understand, won’t understand. I am proud that I was born in Fuentealbilla. But I’ve been here for 16 years. They have always looked after me well. My family lives here too. My wife is from here and my daughter was born here. So for me, one thing can’t be compared with the other”.
On match against Deportivo: “We have to go to La Coruña and get the three points, and then carry on doing the same. I hope we’ll all be available for the game in La Coruña. After an international break it’s always that little bit more difficult”.
“We are still playing the same way. I don’t think we’re more direct than we used to be. The team will improve as the season goes on. We have had a lot of setbacks with the defenders and that hasn’t given us the stability we need”. Return of Piqué, he commented: “the people who know most about that are the doctors. If he isn’t ready to play, then that’s because he can’t. But even if he’s not there, we’ll still have a competitive team”.
Caution with Alavés
“We shouldn’t be over confident. On paper we’re better than Alavés, but I’m sure that if we’re not at one hundred per cent, things will be difficult for us. We know that ground. We’ll have to do things right to get through to the next round … Playing Real Madrid would be nice because it would mean we’d got to the semi finals, and we’d only be one match away from the final”.
“It is impossible to leave a competition like the league aside in order to focus on another. And especially with a team like Real Madrid … the most recent clásicos have been the way they always should be, sporting and respectful, regardless of the rivalry between us”.
No video of Pepe
“We have never been shown a video of any particular player. Neither of Pepe nor any other fellow professional. Everybody has their own personal opinion of Pepe … For me he’s a great centre back in one of the best teams in Europe”.
Ten years since debut
“I remember the nerves, I’d been thinking about that match for a long time. Since then I have been lucky and have been privileged with some wonderful moments. I hope the successes of the last ten years can continue. But there is no secret that I have always liked playing in midfield best. But it all depends on the needs we have and what the manager thinks. My only wish is to be at the team’s service”.
On Messi, Iniesta said: “the issue with Argentina had to do with results. It is practically impossible for Messi to play a bad game. He has a lot of influence on the play. It was just a matter of time and I’m happy for him. He’s still the number one”. And on Guardiola Iniesta said: “I am sure that whenever he decides to manage a team, that team will end up winning by signing him. Whether the team ever manages to reach the same level of football as Barça is something we’ll have to wait and see”.