Magical Iniesta lifts all of us, Silva declares

Magical Iniesta lifts all of us, Silva declares

Ahead of their final group game of Euro 2016, David Silva says midfield partner Andres Iniesta will be crucial to Spain’s hopes of winning the European Championship for a third consecutive time.

Spain are top of Group D having won their opening two matches with second placed Croatia up next on Tuesday.

The Manchester City player is confident Vicente Del Bosque’s side can beat the Croatians – especially if injured star Luka Modric loses his fitness battle – as long as they maintain the level set by the likes of Iniesta.

“We’ve started really well and have won the first two games. That was our goal. Still, we have to play Croatia. It will be a very difficult game. We will have to win or draw to finish first in our group.

“Here everybody wants to play. You have seen that during other tournaments, and also in training. Everyone trains at 100 percent and that means that everybody has to maintain the same level. If our level stays at the top, we can win the tournament.

“Well, we haven’t talked about being first. We need to win or draw to finish top. That is our main goal and after that we will think about our rivals, but at the moment we have not talked about it.

“Iniesta is very important for us. He’s always showed that and now he is playing at an incredible level. That lifts the rest of the team to his level and hopefully, he will keep helping us to win the Euros.

“It is good for Spain that Modric is not playing because he is playing very well. I am sure another great player will replace him and he will perform well. We have to be ready with or without Modric.”

Meanwhile, it was a family affair in training as the squad welcomed their partners and children to the session, with Pedro’s son Bryan and Andres Iniesta’s son Paolo stealing the show.

“To be honest, I’ve been working for this moment for several months. I am feeling good. I have security and I feel more mature, so I can do my best if the coach needs me. I have been working for weeks and I feel good with the team and during training. I think we are training hard. If the coach needs me, to keep the level of the team, to keep our protagonists in the competition, and play at a good level. I feel good,” Marc Barta added.

Tags:

Spain football David Silva European Championship Croatia Euro 2016 Marc Bartra

Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000

Leave a Comment

Comments

No comments yet.

latest stories