Andrés Iniesta

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Flavia

Guest
WTF! There's biased, and there's talking utter nonsence. Perhaps your judgment is clouded because he played for Real Madrid. Both fabulous players, but Zidane probably just edges out Iniesta purely because he could grab a game by the scruff of the neck when it mattered most. Some of his performances for France even in his mid 30's were insane. Iniesta in his peak years was a genius, more consistent than Zidane (at least till 2013), but when things were going a bit pear shaped it's been Messi who has had to dig us out. That's where the fine line is between them, and separates players like Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi and co from the rest. In fact, last weekend is a good example - Iniesta rolled back the years, was toying with the Sevilla players and more involved than all the front three, but for all his huffing and puffing driving forwards trying to break down their defence, it was Messi, who with two bits of individual brilliance just destroyed them.

Semi final vs chelsea, world cup final... Zidane myth is based on a few games as well. Iniesta any day over him.
 

Ripsta

New member
Semi final vs chelsea, world cup final... Zidane myth is based on a few games as well. Iniesta any day over him.

What Zidane myth? Grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck and being put through on goal/scoring a long ranger in the dying minutes are not the same thing. Zidane could carry a struggling team and make the decisive moves in the final third. Iniesta couldn't and never has been able to. He works exceptionally well as part of a unit and has played a pivital midfield role in two of the best ever sides in the history of football. The one time he was greatly needed in a struggling team without the presence of Leo was against PSG in 2013, and he went AWOL.
 
F

Flavia

Guest
What Zidane myth? Grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck and being put through on goal/scoring a long ranger in the dying minutes are not the same thing. Zidane could carry a struggling team and make the decisive moves in the final third. Iniesta couldn't and never has been able to. He works exceptionally well as part of a unit and has played a pivital midfield role in two of the best ever sides in the history of football. The one time he was greatly needed in a struggling team without the presence of Leo was against PSG in 2013, and he went AWOL.

This myth of "grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck". Iniesta is by far the better player, and he has a better career too.
 

Ripsta

New member
This myth of "grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck". Iniesta is by far the better player, and he has a better career too.

Righto, we'll have to agree to disagree, but there's no need to exaggerate saying Iniesta was 'by far' the better player. Unfortunately for Iniesta his lack of Ballon d'Or trophy will count against him.
 

Trickykid

Active member
What Zidane myth? Grabbing a game by the scruff of the neck and being put through on goal/scoring a long ranger in the dying minutes are not the same thing. Zidane could carry a struggling team and make the decisive moves in the final third. Iniesta couldn't and never has been able to. He works exceptionally well as part of a unit and has played a pivital midfield role in two of the best ever sides in the history of football. The one time he was greatly needed in a struggling team without the presence of Leo was against PSG in 2013, and he went AWOL.

Singling out one match in a lifelong career like Iniesta's, what kind of logic is that?
If you really want to run with that argument, we could probably find at least a dozen deciding game that Zidane didn't show up properly in. Especially considering that this is a player who won, what, 3 leagues in 10 years or so in Juve and Real. That's not exactly an impressive haul from someone who allegedly could carry his teams whenever he felt like it.

Iniesta, however, was an integral cog in the best team of all time.

Sure, Zidane was more flashy and had a better end product, which seems to have fooled some people into believing that he could actually hold a candle to a player like Iniesta.
 

El Flaco

Active member
Iniestas interview with Cadena Ser (Spanish)

Couldn't find the transcript of this interview in English and Barcastuff only had a short quote...

Would be great for us non-Spanish speakers to understand of what Don said :)

Acostumbrarse a ganar

Bienvenido sea. Que la afición se haya acostumbrado a ganar es bueno. Si ha pasado es porque se ha ganado mucho y muy importante. En los últimos 12-14 años, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional. Aunque de vez en cuando va bien recordar todo lo que se ha conseguido. La gente sabe que ganar cuesta mucho. Año tras año vemos que es más difícil. Cuando no ganas algo, parece que se acabe el mundo, y no es así. Hemos puesto este club a una exigencia máxima, el reto está en intentar mantenerla lo máximo posible.

Que el Madrid gane la Champions, ¿devuelve al culer a la realidad?

No, no se trata de un partido o de que el Madrid gane una Champions o no. Esto va más allá de un partido o de una competición. Nosotros celebramos lo nuestro, estamos felices con nuestros éxitos y decepcionados con nuestras derrotas. Igual que ellos. Han celebrado la Champions y estarán decepcionados por no haber ganado la Liga. La afición y nosotros como equipo debemos sentirnos muy orgullosos de la temporada que hemos hecho. Claro que el palo de la Champions fue importante, pero el año que viene volveremos a pelear. Ningún club la ha ganado dos veces consecutivas, eso demuestra lo difícil que es ganarla. La valoración de nuestra temporada debe ser buenísima.

La Champions del Madrid

Vimos la final de la Champions aquí en Austria. Fue emocionante, sobre todo por la lotería de los penaltis. Decidir una Champions a penaltis es una forma cruel de decidir un ganador, pero no injusta.

Aún no he felicitado a mis compañeros del Madrid, no nos hemos visto porque tienen semana libre. Nos veremos el día 4. Uno se alegra de los éxitos de uno mismo, no me gusta desear nada malo a nadie, porque al final las cosas vuelven.

Selección

Austria es donde empezó todo. Estamos es el sitio donde estuvimos en aquella Eurocopa y donde hemos hecho la preparación para el Mundial 2010 y Euro 2012. Es un sitio tranquilo para entrenar que nos despierta buenos recuerdos.

Aquí hubo un cambio importante en cuanto a mentalidad, a creer en una forma de jugar y es verdad que en ese momento estábamos varios jugadores del Barça. Después incluso éramos más. Todo ha coincidido en esa época.

Desde entonces, llevas muchos años en el paraíso

Afortunadamente, llevamos muchos años consiguiendo los objetivos. La gente disfruta con su equipo, tanto en el Barça como en la selección. Ya son muchos años, porque a nivel de clubs antes de la Eurocopa ya habíamos conseguido cosas importantes. Son muchos años los que he disfrutado, son especiales, espero que duren algunos años más.

En septiembre, 20 años en el Barça

En este tiempo, el club ha cambiado mucho, tanto la propia institución como la dinámica de la misma. Ha cambiado a mejor, la evolución se ha notado.

Has ganado 31 títulos -solo superado por Giggs, Vítor Baía y Alves. ¿Te ves superándolos?

Me veo disfrutando de este momento, con ilusión y ganas por intentar superarlos. Ojalá el año que viene la cifra se incremente. No solo por mí, también por mi club y por la selección. Quien busca retos por delante, siempre los encuentra.

¿Qué temporada de Luis Enrique ha sido más complicada?

Es difícil decir cuál ha sido la temporada más difícil. En el primer año de Luis Enrique tuvimos momentos de duda, pero en esta también hemos pasado por un bache en abril, donde todo se complicó. La dificultad estaba en que el equipo se repusiera y demostrara su mentalidad de campeón, su mentalidad ganadora cuando la Liga se complicó realmente. Y se lógró.

Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique es la pieza fundamental de los éxitos de estos últimos años. Vino en un momento que no era fácil: cuando estás un año sin ganar aquí en el Barça todo se complica. Cambió la dinámica negativa, la mentalidad, la forma de hacer las cosas. Hemos pasado por un proceso futbolístico que es necesario cuando viene alguien nuevo. Hemos puesto al equipo a un nivel muy alto. Es un entrenador que está pendiente de todos los detalles, nunca deja que el jugador crea algo que no es o que no esté pendiente de lo que tiene hacer.

¿Dosificación por correr más?

Si uno se encuentra bien, puede hacer lo que sea. Cuando estás mal, no importa lo que corras...

El mister sabe lo que quiere de mí en todos los momentos. No sabría decirte si estaría mejor o peor jugando más, pero sí te puedo decir que esta temporada ha sido una de las que mejor me he encontrado y más he disfrutado. Y en ese sentido Luis Enrique tiene mucho que ver.

Su nuevo rol

No es que mi rol haya cambiado, pero ciertas dinámicas de juego sí. Sigo intentando hacer mis cosas, son los aspectos que siempre han marcado mi juego, e intento añadir lo que necesite el equipo. Lo más importante es que lo que he jugado ha sido con buenas sensaciones y para rendir a pleno rendimiento. Si no me encontrara bien, sería imposible. La dinámica del equipo, que es muy positiva, me ayuda a que me sienta mucho mejor.

No jugamos diferente, la esencia y el estilo del Barça es el mismo siempre. Ojalá perdure muchos años. Pero teniendo los tres de arriba que tenemos, eso te hace cambiar la visión de juego o la forma de hacer las cosas en determinados momentos. Los tres de arriba son fieras ofensivamente pero defensivamente también ayudan mucho al equipo, y eso es básico para que el equipo funcione bien.

Capitanía

Un capitán tiene que estar pendiente de cosas que no son estrictamente futbolísticas. Cuando eres primer capitán, eres el primero que tiene que hablar con sus compañeros, la cabeza visible. Son las tareas añadidas que me han tocado vivir este año. Pero el grupo de jugadores que tenemos lo hace todo muy fácil. Son personalidades distintas pero que encuentran equilibrio. Entre todos, ponemos sentido y equilibrio al equipo.

Cambios para la próxima temporada

No sé las altas y bajas que habrá, supongo que el club está trabajando en ello. Más allá de ganar o no ganar, el club siempre tiene que estar a la última y seguir evolucionando para seguir optando a los títulos.

¿Echaréis de menos a Alves?

No sé cuál será su decisión ni la del club. Pero siempre he dicho que, por su rendimiento, el fichaje de Alves es de los mejores que ha hecho el Barça.

Futuro

Me encantaría jugar en el nuevo Camp Nou. Sería increíble, no te voy a engañar. Pero a´día de hoy no quiero pensar más allá. Pienso en el ahora y en un futuro inmediato. No es que no quiera, pero la realidad me marca otras cosas. Cada vez tienes que mirar más cerca, el reloj corre en tu contra. Ahora disfruto del momento, y ya veremos lo que manda el futuro...

Pregunta oyente: te ves como director deportivo, con Guardiola de presidente y Xavi de entrenador?

¡No estaría mal! (risas) Pero ahora me centro en el presente y el futuro más inmediato. Lo que quiero es poder seguir disfrutando de lo que hago y de cómo lo hago.

http://cadenaser.com/ser/2016/05/30/deportes/1464634761_323493.html
 

Messi983

Senior Member
...

Used to win

Could be. That fans are used to win is good. It's happening because we won much and important titles in last 12-14 years on club and international level. People know it's harder to win every year. When you don't win anything it seems like the end of the world, but it's not.

Did Madrid win in CL return cules to reality?

No, it's not about one match or Madrid win CL or not. It's more than one game or one competition. We celebrate our trophies and are disappointed when we lose. The same with them. Fans and we as a team must be proud on our season. It's clear that not winning CL is important but we'll try to win again next season. No club has won two in a row and that shows how difficult is to win. Our season should be valued as good.

CL of Madrid

We've seen the final here in Austria. It was emotional, especially penalties. It's a cruel form to decide a winner, but not injust. I haven't yet congratulate to my Madrid teammmates because they are on vacations this week. We'll see us on 4th June. We are happy for success of each other. I don't want to wish bad to anyone because that will return in your face.

Selection

Everything begins in Austria. We win our Euro here and we prepared for WC 2010 and Euro 2012 here. It's a quiet place to train and we have good memories here. Here our mentality changed, believe in our playstyle and it's true there were many Barça players there at that time. And later were even more of us. Everything coincided in that time.

After that you have lived many years in paradise?

Fortunately we had many years reaching our objectives. Fans were enjoying with their team, with Barça and selection. There were many years to enjoy and I expect that will last for a few more years.

In September, your 20 years in Barça

During this time the club has changed much as institution and their dinamycs as well. We changed to better, our evolution was noted.

You've won 31 titles - only with more are Giggs, Baia and Alves. Will you surpass them?

I'm enjoying this moment, with desire to try and surpass them. Hopefully next season numbers will improve, not only for me but for my club and selection. Who seeks challenges always find one.

Which of seasons under Enrique was more complicated?

It's difficult to tell that. In his first season everyone has moments of doubts but this season we also had a slump in April when everything complicated. It was difficult for the team to recover and show our winning mentality but we did that.


Luis Enrique

He's been fundamental piece of our success over the last seasons. He didn't come in a good moment. When you are one year without a trophy in Barça everything is complicated. He changed negative dynamic, mentality and our selfbelieves. We've gone through futbol process which is necessary with new coach. We've put our team to a very high position. He's a coach that's always aware of all details.

You have to run more?

If you do things good, everything can happen. When you're doing things wrong it doesn't matter how much you run

Coach knows what he wants from me all the time. I can't tell if I'd play better or worse if I'd play more but this season was one of those that I enjoyed the most. And Luis Enrique has much to do with that.

Your new role

It's not like my role has changed but certainly some dynamics have. I try to continue to do my things, aspects of the games that have always been in my game but add some things that team needs. Important thing is to play with good sensations and at my full capacity. If I wasn't feeling good that wasn't possible. The dynamics of the team which are very positive have helped me to feel much better.

We don't play different, Barça's style is always the same. Hopefully it will last for many years. But I understand that with our three upfront makes you change the way you see the game or some things we do at certain times. They are fierce offensively but also help team in defense and that's the basic for team to work well.

Captaincy

As a captain you have to be aware of the things that are not only related to football. When you're first captain you are the first one who has to talk to teammates. I've got some additional tasks this season but the group of players we have makes everything easy. They are different personalities but can find balance between them.

Changes for next season

I don't know about arrivals or departures but club is probably working on them. Whether you win or not the club always have to evolve so we can continue to compete for trophies.

Will you be without Alves?

I don't know his decision not the one of the club. But I've always said that based on his performances Alves was one of the best signings in Barça's history.

Future

I'd like to play at new Camp Nou. It will be amazing. But today I don't want to think about that. I'm thinking about the present and forseeable future. It's not that I don't want but reality has show me other things. You have to look closer every time, as the clock is ticking. For now I enjoy the moments and we'll see what happens in the future.


Are you seeing yourself as sporting director with Guardiola as president and Xavi as coach?

It wouldn't be bad (laughs). But now I'm concentrated on present and immediate future. I want to keep enjoying with what I do and how I do it.
 

DennyCrane

Senior Member
A lot of people only remember the icon that is Zidane, not the actual player.
If Zidane were put on under the same scrutiny in his day than today's players are, he would have not survived the shitstorm. In regular league matches, he was in the passenger seat more often than not. I also wonder how elegant players like Zidane would cope with the increased intensity of midfield pressing in today's football. Probably not too well.

Other than that, when both are at 100 %, they are about on par. Too bad that Zidane wasn't at 100 % all too often.
 

serghei

Senior Member
I would say they are about as good peak wise. Iniesta has a better career, but oddly enough, Barca is used against him, as if Zidane played and won the CL with Levski Sofia. He played for France in one of the best generations ever and for the beat teams in the world, surrounded by star players left and right.
 

DennyCrane

Senior Member
I would say they are about as good peak wise. Iniesta has a better career, but oddly enough, Barca is used against him, as if Zidane played and won the CL with Levski Sofia. He played for France in one of the best generations ever and for the beat teams in the world, surrounded by star players left and right.

Yep. And Barca shouldn't be used against Iniesta indeed - quite the contrary actually, because playing for Barca requires Iniesta to put a lot of workrate in as well on top of his genius; if Zidane were playing in this Barca midfield people here would go apeshit about him casually strolling through the center circle in league matches.
 

Ripsta

New member
I would say they are about as good peak wise. Iniesta has a better career, but oddly enough, Barca is used against him, as if Zidane played and won the CL with Levski Sofia. He played for France in one of the best generations ever and for the beat teams in the world, surrounded by star players left and right.

... and Iniesta's done it in sides where he's never been the star player. He's had Messi at Barca, then Villa for Spain. Zidane made a greater impact in all the tournaments he played in.

Iniesta used to be the man for the big occassion working in tandem with Xavi, and yes he got the winning goal in the 2010 WC Final, but he never dominated a big game the way Zidane did. Even at the age of 34 he made pretty much everyone in the 2006 WC look quite ordinary.

Yep. And Barca shouldn't be used against Iniesta indeed - quite the contrary actually, because playing for Barca requires Iniesta to put a lot of workrate in as well on top of his genius; if Zidane were playing in this Barca midfield people here would go apeshit about him casually strolling through the center circle in league matches.

Like Messi?
 

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