The Spain midfielder and his Barcelona team-mates Xavi and Cesc Fabregas have lamented the quality of the playing surface in Gdansk after their Euro 2012 opener

The pre-tournament favourites fell behind to Cesare Prandelli's men on the slow playing surface but rescued a point thanks to a Cesc Fabregas equaliser.

And, after the match, the Spaniard hit out at the quality of the pitch, claiming it stifled Vicente del Bosque's team's passing football.

He told reporters: "Seeing the pitch in those conditions is a disaster. It was incredibly dry and that makes circulation of the ball difficult."

Iniesta's Barcelona team-mate Fabregas was also quick to comment on the conditions after his side's Group C opener.

"I can't complain, but we deserved much more." he said. "It's shameful that we still have to play on pitches like that."

And Xavi added: "The fact that they didn't water the pitch persecuted our dynamic and fluid play."

Barcelona captain Carles Puyol, who is absent from the tournament in Poland & Ukraine through injury, also later tweeted in agreement with his colleagues.

He said "For me, the best game we saw so far, and if they water the pitch, we'd see better football. I believe in La Roja!! Star Iniesta."

Typical Barcelona players comment

The pitch was perfect at Nou Camp when CL Semi Finals

No need to whine it was a good game pitch affected both teams.

Then why play a style of football only suitable in one stadium

Pitch was crap,was saying it from the start of the game/

he's got a right to complain. but really, if a pitch is crappy, they should have a back up plan. that's life, things aren't always perfect the way you want them to be, so be men and deal with it.

True, the teams should be ready to face different conditions, especially if you are considered as a good team.

However, I think Iniesta has a right to complain, these are the Euros FFS, the hosts should be providing the highest standards in every department, and thats what the teams and players expect. I would really slap any Spanish (Barca) player in face if these were the qualifications, as this "bad pitch" is starting to look like a lame excuse, but as it is the actual Euros, I approve any kind of critique to the pitch. It should have been perfect.

Well they should have watered it, I think. But the conditions are the same for both teams, so they shouldn't really complain.

Also, shouldn't this be in the Euro section?

Typical Barcelona players if things don't go there way there's always an excuse, for the so called best team in the world they sure are limited in the way they play.

All I will say is poor poor excuse hope they just get on with it, seriously can't stand barca players.

Italy switched their whole formation round that the team has ever even played with yet u don't see them makin excuses

Art Morte wrote:Well they should have watered it, I think. But the conditions are the same for both teams, so they shouldn't really complain.

Also, shouldn't this be in the Euro section?

Why not complain? The countries have applied to get the Euros, and they have probably said that they should maintain a certain standard for getting the honor of holding the Euros. If things are not up to standard (unless there is no natural or any other catastrophe) the players and/or anyone else has a right to complain. I mean if people do not care about these standards we might as well have next Euros in any country like IDK Kosova and Macedonia.

We kind of do, since we're having a WC in Qatar (^^^^^^).

eelir wrote:

Art Morte wrote:Well they should have watered it, I think. But the conditions are the same for both teams, so they shouldn't really complain.

Also, shouldn't this be in the Euro section?

Why not complain? The countries have applied to get the Euros, and they have probably said that they should maintain a certain standard for getting the honor of holding the Euros. If things are not up to standard (unless there is no natural or any other catastrophe) the players and/or anyone else has a right to complain. I mean if people do not care about these standards we might as well have next Euros in any country like IDK Kosova and Macedonia.

Excuse me where do they get the right to complain this is the euros buddy everyones plays on the same pitches,the euros isn't there to cater to Spains way of playing or to keep the barca cry baby's happy. No one else has complained about the pitches.

It's just typical barca players looking for an excuse when things don't go there way.

It about time they started suck things up and stop acting like little princess's.

A good team adapts to any conditions not cry like barca's little super stars.

Italy bloody played in a formation they never tried before and u don't see them makin excuses.

Just once it would be nice to hear one of those players give another team some credit.

But hey go ahead and tell me they were right to complain I mean how dare the euros not have pitches that accommodate Spain's barca players.

It's still well within the rights of everyone to criticize the pitch if it was bad. But TBH I watched the match, and the ball ran well on that field, so it can't have been that bad.

The fuq was wrong with the pitch? It was perfect

VivaStPauli wrote:We kind of do, since we're having a WC in Qatar (^^^^^^).

So you've already judged a World Cup that's a decade away?

I'm willing to believe that it wasn't perfect, but I saw how the ball rolled on that grass. It was decent at the very least. So it certainly is a bit funny to complain about that.

I understand that every pitch should be near-perfect at a big tournament, but anything that isn't exactly a freshly plowed acre really isn't going to cost anyone the game, and if it does, your team needs a plan B.

7amood11 wrote:

VivaStPauli wrote:We kind of do, since we're having a WC in Qatar (^^^^^^).

So you've already judged a World Cup that's a decade away?

If they get equal rights, about 40 million more inhabitants, democracy, and move out of the desert within the next 7 to 9 years I will apologize for making fun of the decision, I promise!

what is funny complaining about?


They didnt say they drew because of the state of pitch,they said the quality of the match wouldve been better if it was a better pitch. which i kinda agree because all players looked clumsier on the ball than they actually are.

Funny is that you could hardly notice that the pitch wasn't perfect is my point. They shouldn't be too upset, it could've been heavy rain for example, then it wouldn't have mattered how perfect the pitch is, it would've been shit for everyone either way. And they'll be playing matches in heavy rain at this Euro, mark my words.

The difference is ,If there is Rain nothing we can do about it.

But a better pitch is not definitely something impossible lol.

Actually the pitch was slow ,they didnt watered it so ball moved very slow.

I don't disagree they should have watered the pitch, it's not rocket science. And in a "the quality of play could've been higher"-kind of way Iniesta is right. I just don't think it mattered all that much.

A bad pitch really matters if you play against hoofball-teams like England.

wut?

a bad slow pitch affects every ground passes which is the 'main item' of the game .

everyone should stop pretending here, anyone smart enough could se that the pitch was very slow compared to other euro games.

we have seen so many times with barca in la liga, teams (even real madrid/ac milan did it vs barca) leaving grass high, not watering. has a very significant effect on spain's passing game.

of cause italy also played well but if it were a faster pitch things would have been different

The pitch was fine IMO.....This is getting sad everytime someone complains about a pitch its because they are sore over something both teams play on the same pitch both teams are affected the same way yet one complains as if its blasphemous.

Why are you criticizing the players? They just answered a damn question that was asked by a journalist, ffs! If you want to criticize someone then criticized the journalist that asked them...