Andres Iniesta in Danger of Suffering First Relegation of Glittery Career

Andres Iniesta in Danger of Suffering First Relegation of Glittery Career

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:05 PM
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  • Iniesta’s club Vissel Kobe is rooted at the bottom of the J-League
  • The club recently sacked manager Miguel Lotina after a string of poor results
  • The Barcelona legend now faces a real possibility of suffering his first-ever relegation

Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta finds himself in unfamiliar territory as the Spaniard is in danger of suffering relegation for the first time in his career.

Iniesta’s J-League side Vissel Kobe is enduring a torrid campaign in Japan’s top flight as they find themselves in last place in the league.

Miguel Angel Lotina was recently sacked after less than three months in charge after picking up a mere seven points from nine league games.

With more than half the season gone, Vissel Kobe are facing relegation after collecting just 11 points from 18 games.

It made sense for the club to sack Lotina, who has an infamous reputation of suffering relegation with the clubs he managed previously.

Lotina also seemed to be in disagreement with the club on how much time Iniesta should be given on the pitch, considering the Spaniard’s age.

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Iniesta had started his side’s last seven league games, but has failed to adapt to the sacked manager’s tactics.

Since taking charge of the club, Lotina also shifted Vissel Kobe’s style of play from the popular tiki-taka to a counter-attacking approach.

This approach, however, tends to invite more pressure as opposition tends to have more of the ball.

Vissel Kobe’s main concern at the moment is the potential exit of Iniesta, should the club get relegated.

The former Barcelona man only recently signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the club longer, but it is highly unlikely he will stay to play in the Japanese second-tier.

Meanwhile, Lotina has been replaced by Takayuki Yoshida, who will begin his third tenure with the club.

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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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