INIESTA FITNESS BOOST

Barcelona have been handed a major boost in the title race with the news that Andres Iniesta has been declared fit to return to first-team action.

Andres Iniesta was injured before the Christmas break and it turned out to be a very bad injury for Barcelona, as they could not take advantage of the 3-1 victory be achieved over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernebeu before getting out playing in the Club World Cup. Andres Iniesta’s absence from the team was also felt in the draw with Espanyol recently, which was the fifth away draw in six matches for Barcelona.

This poor run of form away from home has meant that Real Madrid have been able to extend their lead at the top of the table to 5 points. In a League where there are very few dropped points, the five points seem very significant for Real Madrid. In this situation, Barcelona do need to win all of their remaining matches in order to have the slightest chance of catching Real Madrid at the top of the table. The return of Andres Iniesta would be just the thing manager Guardiola would have demanded at this stage of the season. It is very much like getting a new player in the transfer window.

“On Saturday, Andres Iniesta got the green light from the club doctors after training and will be able to play in the derby on Sunday,” said a statement on Barcelona’s website. Despite returning to the match against Espanyol, Andres Iniesta was not able to influence the match, as he would have desired due to the lack of regular first team action recently. Barcelona will be looking to get back to winning ways having drawn their first game of 2012. Barcelona, however, have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup following their 4-0 win over Osasuna.

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Iniesta Ruled Out

Barcelona have been dealt a major blow ahead of the Champions League group stage match against AC Milan after midfielder Andres Iniesta has been ruled out with a thigh injury. Barcelona could only draw in their home match against AC Milan, and Guardiola would have been counting on having his best players available in order to achieve the win over AC Milan at the San Siro they need. However, the injury to Andres Iniesta means that he will have to reshuffle his pack. Even though the changes may not be so dramatic, given Barca have numerous world class midfielders, it is certainly going to affect his team because of the talent Andres Iniesta possesses.

Many regard him to be the vital link between the defenders and midfielders. Along with Xavi, Iniesta dictates the play for Barca and, even though they are quite effective without him, Barcelona are not the same team without him. Along with Iniesta, Guardiola will also be without the likes of Adriano and Irabhim Affelay.

Guardiola will be extremely keen to do well in the match against AC Milan especially given that it will be against one of his former players Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Guardiola was criticised heavily by Ibrahimovic in his autobiography and the former Barcelona midfielder will be keen to show the striker that he is a better manager than he is given credit for in the book.

The 2-2 draw in the first leg was an extremely thrilling encounter, but Guardiola will be forced to reassess his options following the injury to Iniesta. It may well be that Barcelona decide to play a cagey, more defensive match, hitting Milan on the counter with the pace provided by Lionel Messi and David Villa upfront. A victory for Barcelona will ensure that they finish at the top of the group, as they lead AC Milan by two points already.

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Andres Iniesta

Andres Iniesta is a Spanish born midfielder who currently plays for FC Barcelona and has represented the Spanish national team at various levels. He was born on May 11, 1984 and is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world. The versatility of the players also makes him an ideal candidate to play on the wings or in the central midfield position. Him along with Xavi Hernandez dominate the Barcelona midfielder and have been responsible for the most successful era in the club’s history.

Andres Iniesta first broke through into the first team back in 2002 and it did not take long for him to establish himself in the first team. By the 2004-2005 season, Iniesta was a regular fixture in the Barcelona team that was managed by Frank Rijkaard. However, he was constantly overshadowed by the brilliance of Ronaldinho, but once the Brazilian left the club, it was Iniesta’s time to enter into the spotlight. He grabbed the chance beautifully and has been responsible for the domination of Barcelona in various competitions around the globe since then.

His pace and skill have let Barcelona to becoming the first side to win six trophies in a single year, which also included a Champions League trophy as well. Andres Iniesta also has managed to outshine every single central midfield player on the international stage as well. He first made his international debut in the Spanish youth team, but made it into the first-team in 2006. Since then, he has been part of one of the most successful Spanish team in the history. Not only has he won every single trophy there is to win domestically, but also every international trophy as well.

This includes a World Cup, which he won in 2010 by scoring the goal that separated his side from Holland in the final. The trophy cabinet also includes a European Championship title, which was won in 2008. This is in addition to the UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in 2002 and UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in 2001. So far, he has won five Spanish league titles, one Spanish cup, four Spanish Super cup, one UEFA super cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, and three UEFA Champions League titles.

He has also been individually awarded various trophies, which includes the place in the Euro 2008 Team of the tournament, FIFPro World XI in 2009 and 2010, UEFA Team of the Year in 2009 and 2010, FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 2010, and La Liga’s Best Attacking Midfielder in 2009.

His also one of the few players in the world to have represented only one club side during his career, although aged only 27, Iniesta could still move to other clubs and will not be finding any shortage of takers. So far, Iniesta has represented the Barcelona B team in 54 appearances, while the first team appearances are just short of 250. He has made 58 appearances for the Spanish national team and has scored nine goals.