Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi will be making their return to Celtic Park in the group stages of the Champions league this season after the Spanish giants were drawn in the same group along with Celtic.
This is an extremely tough group for Celtic since they will also have to play against AC Milan and Ajax. Between AC Milan and Barcelona alone, there are 12 Champions league titles and they are formidable opposition to say the least. Despite this, Celtic can draw confidence from the recent performance against Barcelona when they managed to stun the Spanish giants at home. Read more »
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has said that new Manchester city signing Jesus Navas is very similar player to Gareth Bale. Tottenham star Gareth Bale has been linked with almost every major club in the world after a string of impressive seasons with the Premier league outfit. He is valued in excess of £ 50 million by his club, who are resisting the advances of Real Madrid to sell him. Navas has been signed for a much lesser transfer fee. He has cost Manchester city around £ 20 million in transfer fees, and this is his first move from Sevilla.
The former Sevilla winger has been unable to secure a move away from his hometown club due to an extreme case of homesickness. Iniesta reckons that Navas will have been spoken of in the same breath as Bale if he did not have such a problem. Navas has also been unable to achieve a lot at international level due to this inability to travel with the squad. The 27-year-old winger recently reached the final of the Confederations cup with Spain. Iniesta has said that Navas is one of the quickest players he has ever seen.
This coupled with his poise and elegance on the ball make him a complete player.
“He’s going to cause the defences in the Premier League a real problem when he plays for City. Jesus has so much speed, and his feet are so quick, that it becomes nearly impossible to stop him without fouling him. The only player that I can compare him with that is already playing in England is Gareth Bale,” said Iniesta. Navas managed to win only his 28th International cap during the Confederations cup. Iniesta has said that City have truly secured themselves a truly special player, who will be able to push them towards league success.
Barcelona have been draw against German giants Bayern Munich in the semifinals of the Champions league this season. Midfielder Andres Iniesta has said that it is a thrilling tie and one that he cannot wait to play in. The 28-year-old has said that he expects Bayern Munich to provide a tough competition. Hence, the fans should not be already thinking about an El Clasico in the final of the Champions League this season. Real Madrid will be playing against Borussia Dortmund in the other semi-final. Madrid are the favourites to progress from this tie.
Iniesta has said that it is always nice to be close to a final because it provides the team with an opportunity to win a title. However, they should not be looking too far ahead because Bayern Munich are one of the favourites to win the competition this season. The German club has had a relatively easy passage into the semifinals, but that is partly down to the incredible strength of the team. Many regard Bayern to be the complete team in the Champions League this season.
Iniesta has praised the strength of Bayern by saying that they have strong players across the field, while their bench is also extremely strong as well.
“Man, if I were a fan I would not be so nervous, whilst with the adrenaline it should stop. A final should be exciting, it should be looked at as it is, it is something big to get to play it and there is nothing so nice as to win another title. Today, however, I do not think about that, just of the semi-finals, which will be very difficult. Do we face them with fear? No, unapologetically, full of confidence and trusting that if we do things as we should then we will be in the final, we have our chances,” said Iniesta.
The Spanish club Barcelona face an uphill task in their efforts to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, as they have suffered a shock 2-0 defeat in the first leg against the Italian club AC Milan. This has left Milan with the requirement of even a drab 0-0 draw to go through into the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Barcelona have been one of the most successful clubs in this competition over the last few years, as they have lifted the trophy two times. Even though they are currently top of the Spanish league by a massive 13 points, they are on the verge of being knocked out of the European competition. Read more »
The Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has praised midfielder Andres Iniesta by saying that he is extremely lucky to be playing alongside the Spanish midfielder. Iniesta recently came close to winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or award only to be pipped by his teammate Messi, who won the award for the fourth consecutive season. Iniesta not only had a great season domestically with Barcelona, but he was also extremely influential with the Spanish national team as well. Even though he could not win major titles with Barcelona last season, he managed to win the Euro 2012 with Spain.
This consequently named him as one of the three players shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award. The Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo was the other name on the list. Even though he did not win the award, Messi has praised him by saying that it is a great privilege to be playing alongside him. Messi and Iniesta have known each other since the youth team days. Iniesta is regarded as one of the important cogs of the Barcelona team alongside Xavi and Messi. He has been largely responsible for the 14 trophies lifted by the Barcelona team during the regime of Guardiola.
“Andres does everything well. He’s getting better and better as the years go by – he’s won it all and I’m extremely lucky to play alongside him. I enjoy watching what he does on the pitch, whether in matches or in training sessions – he’s a joy to behold,” said Messi in a recent interview given to Revista Barca. The 28-year-old Iniesta has made 17 appearances for the team this season. Due to the fact that he has been playing out wide, he has been unable to replicate the goalscoring form of previous seasons and has managed just two goals so far this campaign.
The Barcelona striker Lionel Messi recently managed to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the fourth consecutive occasion, while also managing to beat his teammate Andres Iniesta on the way. The Spaniard was more successful than Messi in terms of trophies last season after he managed to win the Euro 2012 with the Spanish national team. However, Messi managed to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or award courtesy of his 91 goals in a calendar year. Recently, Iniesta has praised Messi by saying that it is an extreme pleasure to play with him.
Iniesta has praised the attitude of Lionel Messi by saying that he is capable of doing something out of the ordinary yet he is always grounded. He has also recalled how long he has been training with Messi at Barcelona. Messi has been one of the main reasons for Barcelona being hugely successful in recent seasons. Iniesta has said that it is what matters at the end of the day. He has also said that there is nothing called as the perfect player and he believes he can improve even more. Iniesta has been one of the vital cogs of the Barcelona team along with Messi and Xavi over the last few years.
“I’ve played with Leo for a long time and there’re no words to properly describe him. His best attribute is how he’s able to do something out of the ordinary on a daily basis. He also makes the difference in a very natural way and having this sort of player in your team is incredible. We understand each other really well and I hope he can continue doing what he’s doing and bring more success. At the end of the day that’s what really counts,” said Iniesta, who was nominated alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi for the award.
Lionel Messi has said that his Barcelona teammate and star midfielder, Andres Iniesta, should be given the Ballon d’Or award. Messi himself has also been nominated for this prestigious award, but, the great Argentinean feels that Iniesta has played better than him in the ongoing season and that’s why, he deserves to get the Ballon d’Or.
Messi has been in sensational form in the current season. He has found the net on 28 occasions in the ongoing season. Recently, he has broken the world record of the maximum number of goals scored by a player in a calendar year. The number of goals scored by Messi this year is 86. All these numbers are clearly pointing towards the fact that Messi deserves Ballon d’Or more than anybody else. But, the Barcelona superstar has a different opinion.
When asked which player deserves to get the Ballon d’Or award, Messi said, “I think Andres Iniesta deserves to get this award. He has had a fantastic season so far. He has not scored that many goals, but, the amount of work that he has done for the team is considerable.”
When asked how he is feeling after breaking Gerd Muller’s world record, “It’s an amazing feeling. Muller was a great player and breaking his record is quite special for me.”
“We have been playing magnificently so far in the season, but, we can’t afford to relax. Winning is a habit. Once you lose that winning momentum, it’s not easy to bounce back. So, we should continue the momentum.”
When asked about Barcelona’s performance in the match against Real Betis, Messi said, “Betis had been doing well in the competition and we knew that they would come hard at us. It was a close game, but, fortunately, we pulled it off.”
The midfielder of Barcelona, Andres Iniesta, has said that his team has learnt a big lesson from the last game against Deportivo La Coruna.
Barcelona was given a run for its money by the Deportivo team in a La Liga match played at Estadio Riazor on Saturday. Barcelona had to toil hard to win that match. Barca managed to secure a victory in that match by a very close margin of 5-4. Nobody was expecting Barcelona to concede 4 goals against a relatively weaker Deportivo team.
Barcelona made a very good start to the match and was ahead by 3-0 at one point of time. But, the Deportivo team made a brilliant comeback and scored two goals in a space of 10 minutes to reduce the lead to 3-2.
Deportivo got trailed by two goals again when Messi scored the fourth goal for Barcelona in the 42nd minute. At the half time break, the scorecard was displaying 4-2 in the favour of Barcelona.
The Deportivo team came all guns blazing in the second half. In the second minute of the second half, Deportivo got a free kick and Pizzi made full use of that opportunity. The Portuguese midfielder smashed the ball into the top corner of the net and made the match very interesting.
Messi scored his third goal in the match in the 77th minute and put Barcelona on the driving seat. This was the 21st occasion when Messi scored a hat trick for Barcelona.
Alba’s own goal in the 79th minute brought Deportivo back into the game again. But, the Deportivo team failed in scoring another goal in the remaining time and lost the match.
When asked about Barcelona’s performance against Deportivo, Iniesta said, “We obviously could have played much better than that. It’s a wakeup call for us. We made a number of mistakes in that match, but, in spite of that, we gathered all the three points. It won’t happen every time. We have learnt a lesson from that match and we are determined not to repeat the mistakes in the upcoming matches.”
The Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has said that he owes a lot to his teammates for the accolade that he has received as the best player last season. UEFA recently voted the Barcelona midfielder as the best player from last season, as he contributed immensely to the Spanish national team on their way to the Euro 2012 victory. Even though Barcelona may not have won major titles last season, Andres Iniesta was one of the best players in the team. His performances have not gone unnoticed after he managed to beat the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the title of being the best player in Europe.
After receiving the award, the 28-year-old has said that he is extremely happy to receive such an accolade, but has said that it would not have been possible without the presence of some of the wonderful teammates. Even though Iniesta has been extremely influential in the Barcelona team for a number of years now, this is actually the first major award he has received. It is partly due to the extraordinary brilliance of Lionel Messi that other players within the Barcelona team have been overshadowed up until now.
“It is another moment to remember. The fans have seen me grow here for a long time and I have a very special affection for them. The key was to take the game. We could have won more comfortably, above all in the first half. We are pleased because we still have the advantage. When you have the chances you have to take them because if not, you will suffer,” said the midfielder ahead of the World Cup qualification campaign with Spain. Iniesta has played a major role in helping Barcelona start of the new season with three straight victories, which also includes the latest 1-0 win over Valencia.
Andres Iniesta has said that David Villa is an asset for Barcelona and it is wonderful to know that he has recovered from his injury completely. David Villa has been declared fit by the doctors of Barcelona and he would make a comeback in the team after remaining out for 8 months. There have been reports that Villa would play in the pre season match against Manchester United. Villa had undergone a severe injury while playing in a match of the Club World cup against Al Sadd in the last season. He wasn’t able to feature again for Barcelona in the remaining part of the last season. He also didn’t manage to play for the Spanish team in the Euro Cup. Villa’s absence affected Barcelona’s performance and the team failed to win the UEFA Champions League.
Iniesta said that Villa is one of the best strikers in the world at the moment. He has done wonders in the past and his presence would make a big difference in the upcoming season. As per Iniesta, Villa is a great player and he would not take much time to get into his groove. On being asked about his previous coach, Josep Guardiola, Iniesta said that he was a magical coach. He had that unique ability of bringing the best out of the players. Guardiola had resigned from his post a few months ago. Under his guidance, Barcelona performed amazingly well and won 14 titles. He is considered as one of the best managers that Barcelona has ever had. After the departure of Guardiola, Tito Vilanova has been appointed as the new manager of Barcelona.
On being asked about the new manager of the club, Iniesta said that the players are quite familiar with the working style of Vilanova as he has been working as Guardiola’s assistant. So, it would not be hard for Vilanova to settle in the manager’s role.
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September 11, 2013 3:28 am | 
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