Madrid, Jan 26 (IANS) Spain football team coach Vicente del Bosque believes FC Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta is in “one of the best moments of his life” adding that he hoped the 31-year-old could carry his recent fine form into Euro 2016.
Iniesta’s form dipped during coach Gerardo Martino’s time at Barcelona in 2013 and was forced to adapt again under Luis Enrique last season. But he was back to his breathtaking best in the second half of 2014-15 season and capped a memorable campaign by winning the man of the match award in the Champions League final, helping barcelona win the trophy.
“It happens often that players are written off. And that occurred ahead of the World Cup in Brazil for example. Many people, looking at the results, said things like ‘I said they should have gone with other players,” Del Bosque was quoted as saying by goal.com on Monday.
“But now Iniesta is in one of the best moments of his life. Let’s hope he arrives like that in France. We have to support each other in what we see, not in what we assume things will be,” he said.
Del Bosque was also full of praise for another Barcelona player, Iniesta’s team-mate Gerard Pique, and says the Catalan defender is unaffected by criticism from fans in recent matches for Spain matches.
“It has coincided with some circumstances happening parallel to the national team, and that’s why it has had more repercussion,” the 65-year-old said, in reference to the Pique’s mocking of Barcelona arch-rivals Real Madrid.
“We didn’t like hearing it at the start, but we have become accustomed to it. And I don’t think it affects the boy at all, which is the most important thing,” the coach added.