mercredi 27 avril 2011

Iniesta relieved to avoid suspension, keen to reach third final

When a player has won the World Cup, the European Championship, two Champions Leagues and four Spanish Ligas by the age of 26, what else can he hope to achieve?
   Many things, according to Andres Iniesta.

   "I still have a lot to achieve, both for Barcelona and Spain," the popular little midfielder said on Monday.

   Right now, Iniesta is planning to help Barca reach their third Champions League final in five years, by beating Real Madrid in the all-Spanish semi-final which starts in Madrid on Wednesday.

   "I dream about reaching Wembley," said Iniesta, looking ahead at the May 28 final in London.

   "At the moment, our only thought is to go there (to Madrid) and score goals. In the return leg (in Barcelona on May 2), our fans will lift us all the way to Wembley. There is no other thought within the squad."

   Actually, Iniesta is lucky to be able to play in the semi-finals.

   Last week, the ruling body UEFA considered suspending him for one or two matches for having allegedly deliberately provoked a yellow card in the quarter-fial first leg against Shaktar Donetsk, in order to be suspended for the second leg but "clean" of cards for the semi-finals.

   Real Madrid players Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos were punished by UEFA in November for deliberately earning themselves yellow cards in a game away to French side Auxerre.

   Iniesta was relieved not to suffer a similar fate, after Barca appealed to prevent him from being suspended.

   "It would have established a very strange precedent if they had suspended me for two games," said Spain's World Cup hero on Monday.

   "All I did was to not let them (Shakhtar) take a quick free-kick," he said. "You see much worst things on the field in practically every match."

   Iniesta is well known across Planet Football for his sportsmanship and good manners. He has never been sent off in his illustrious nine-year career.

   He is also well known for popping up in the opposition penalty area at just then right time - and scoring crucial goals.

   Two years ago, he scored the late goal away to Chelsea that put Barca in the Champions League final, which they went on to win 2-0 against Manchester United.

   And last year he scored the most important goal in Spanish history, the goal that sunk the Netherlands 1-0 in the World Cup final in Johannesburg.

   Another important day in his life was April 3, when his first child Valeria was born.

When asked on Monday if the baby was keeping him awake at night, Iniesta replied, with his habitual joviality: "I have a special room prepared for myself just in case, but for the time being the girl is behaving well."

   Last week's cup final defeat against Real has raised doubts about Barca's fitness and form at this crucial stage of the season, but Iniesta believes that "we are in good shape and playing well.

   "Back in September we would all have been delighted to get to this moment eight points ahead in the league, finalists in the cup and in the semi-finals of the Champions.

We will go to Madrid to win because we do not know any other way of playing. We will play with a positive mentality, in the knowledge that we are very close to the final," Iniesta said.

Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire