Andres Iniesta have spoken on the double disappointments of La Liga and the World Cup in 2014, and Lionel Messi’s future at Barcelona.
Iniesta has spoken to FIFA’s official website and when asked which hurt more, losing the title on the final day of the season of La Roja being eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage, was unable to separate the two.
“Both were hard to digest, given their significance,” he replied.
“[Barcelona] had had a very difficult year in many respects, so to lose the League title at home in the final game was a big, big disappointment. The same applies to the World Cup.
“For a country like Spain, with the players we had, we expected to have a very good tournament and go a lot further than the first round.
“However, when you don’t do things well at tournaments like these, you pay a heavy price. And that’s what happened to us.
“It was a pity [Messi] couldn’t get his hands on the trophy. There were certain similarities between that final and ours against the Netherlands [at South Africa 2010], like the chances missed and the winner coming in extra time.
“In truth, though, Germany had a really good World Cup.”
Talk then turned to events at Camp Nou, including the rumours of Messi leaving Barca, where the club stand this season under Luis Enrique, and the off-field events dogging the club.
“There’s no denying that when there’s so much talk on the outside and when it’s not about football or your play, it can affect things,” he admitted.
“You try, or at least should try, to ignore all of that because a lot of it isn’t true. The sheer number of reports can annoy you.
“That said, we know we’re at a club where a lot is asked of you, where everything is magnified tenfold. There are so many opinions and a lot of things can come from that.
“When things aren’t going exactly to plan, then we have to deal with those kind of situations. The only way we can change that and make the public more settled is by playing well and winning.
“That way they forget a bit about all the stuff on the outside and focus instead on what their players are doing on the pitch.
“I hope and wish that Leo can be with Barca for a long time, because he has been, is and will be fundamental to our competing for honours. That’s my sole desire. We are out to win everything we can and have a lot to look forward to.
“We’ve got a great team and the disappointment of last year has to be a motivation for us to show our true colours and try to end this season with a smile on our faces and our fans celebrating a title once more.”
