Iniesta (2): "I need to improve my scoring"

In an interview with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta talked about the season so far.


(you can read the first part here)


You feel more appreciated since the European championships?
It's a little bit of everything. More than the Euro, I think it's because my daily work, the matches, this causes people to recognize what you're doing and gives you more confidence.

What is the nicest thing that has been said about you recently?
Pelé and Laudrup had nice words for me. Anyway, all compliments by my friends make me happy. The reaction of my team-mates when I was not nominated for the Golden Ball and the respect I received from them was very nice too.

Since when are you doing that Laudrup style move?
Since I was a little boy. I already did it in Albacete. I did it a few times lately but I already did it before. Now I scored that goal with Spain this way and people talk more about it, but it's one of my favourite moves. I've always followed Laudrup when I was young and that's one of the things I've learned.

You have some other tricks you didn't yet dare to show?
It's not abour daring, but sometimes things go so quick that they're going naturally. The important thing is to get passed your opponent, no matter how.

If Iniesta would start to score, he would be unstoppable, right?
It would make me a more complete player if I would score more. It's something I need to improve but I'm confident it will change this season. I'm convinced it will change. Nonetheless I don't think the goals are decisive when judging my efficiency. Who wants to say something negative about me, will say I don't score goals. But you can also be decisive without scoring yourself. Everybody should interprete it the way he wants, although it's true that scoring more would make me a better player.

Can you practise that or it's more a confidence issue?
There are a lot of theories about that. Against Atlético the other day, I hit the ball perfectly but the ball hit the post. You also can hit it bad and score. What's the conclusion? Personally I think it's more about confidence and intensity than about practising, although it's also true you can practise everything.

It's worrying to you that you don't score?
I worry about it because it would make me better, but I'm not obsessed with it.

It's a coincidence that you score more with the Spanish national team?
I don't think I score more with Spain, I played 34 games and I was just lucky to score six times. You cannot compare the two. My effectiveness with Barcelona cannot be compared with that with the national team. I anyhow prefer the way I play at Barcelona.

If people ask you if you're a midfielder or a forward, what is your answer?
I don't know. I've always been a midfielder and that's my natural position. The thing is that the left wing is a part of the pitch where you can make the difference and I feel good there. It's great to play there.


This was the second part part of this interview. You can read the third and last part tomorrow with Iniesta talking - amongst other things - about his relation with Guardiola and about the end of the Rijkaard era.

Read the first part here:

Iniesta (1): "I prefer to play on the left"