Andres Iniesta

With Spain already looking like potential Euro 2016 champions, the current European Champions have one man to thank for their early tournament success. At 32, midfielder Andres Iniesta is proving age is no hindrance. But why, exactly, is he so important to Spain?

Main man
No longer aided by his long term club and country partner Xavi, Iniesta is now partnered in central midfield by his former Barcelona teammate Cesc Fabregas. While Fabregas lacks the effortless majesty of Xavi, the Chelsea midfielder functions in the same role Xavi thrived in. Fabregas keeps the ball moving at a steady pace for a team that prioritises possession more so than most.

Barcelona have displayed the ultimate form of consistency by winning the league title, according to midfielder Andres Iniesta.

Louis van Gaal has likened the astronomic rise of Marcus Rashford into the Manchester United first-team to the progress made by players like Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez when they were young.

Van Gaal was responsible for bringing through a number of stars during his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. He has always had the golden touch in this regard. Iniesta, Xavi, and Bastian Schweinsteiger are some of the players who came through the ranks when van Gaal was at the Spanish and German clubs respectively.

With the Primera Liga season almost at an end, Barcelona's chances of retaining their crown hang in the balance.

After three consecutive defeats in April allowed the likes of Atletico Madrid and their rivals, Real Madrid, to make up serious ground on the Catalonians, Luis Enrique's men go into the final stretch of the season in the knowledge that they can't afford any more slip ups.

Barcelona’s poor form continued after a 1-0 loss against Real Sociedad during the weekend. The result opened the la Liga title race in dramatic fashion.

Andres Iniesta claims that Barcelona are very keen on extending their unbeaten run of 39 matches.

The Catalan club have become even more powerful under the regime of Luis Enrique. The former Barcelona midfielder has managed to find a way for the likes of Neymar, Luis Enrique, and Lionel Messi to play in the same team without losing the defensive strength. In fact, attack has become the biggest source of defence for Barcelona in the 2015-16 campaign. They have managed to stay unbeaten even when having some difficult games in the Champions League along the way.

Pep Guardiola’s move to Manchester City will be completed when the current Premier League season ends as the Spanish manager is going to replace Manuel Pellegrini at the Etihad Stadium and Sergio Busquets has recently said that he could be tempted to join the Premier League club as the highly rated defensive midfielder would like to work alongside Guardiola once again.

Andres Iniesta says that Barcelona are intent on reaching the Copa del Rey final. The club will be up against Valencia in the semi-final.

Luis Enrique has decided to give midfielder Andres Iniesta some much-needed rest. Hence, the midfielder will not be part of the Champions League group match against Bayer Leverkusen.

Barcelona’s midfield maestros Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta believe that manager Louis van Gaal will be a success at Old Trafford despite struggling in his first season at the club.