TOKYO, June 29, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Andres Iniesta's floundering J-League side
Vissel Kobe fired manager Miguel Angel Lotina after less than three months in
charge Wednesday, with reports blaming his treatment of the former Barcelona
legend.
Iniesta is in danger of being relegated for the first time in his glittering
career, with big-spending Vissel rooted to the bottom of the Japan top flight
more than halfway through the season with only 11 points from 18 matches.
Lotina was brought in to stop the rot in early April but the Spaniard has
picked up only seven points from his nine league games in charge.
Japanese media reports said the veteran manager, whose CV includes
relegations with five different teams in his home country, clashed with club
officials over how best to use the 38-year-old Iniesta.
The 2010 World Cup-winning midfielder has started Vissel's last seven league
games but Lotina has shifted the team's playing style away from a Barcelona-
style "tiki-taka" passing game to a more counter-attacking approach.
Lotina also reportedly disagreed with the club over how much time Iniesta
should spend on the pitch.
Iniesta cut a disconsolate figure in Vissel's 1-0 defeat to Urawa Reds on
Sunday and trudged off the pitch with his head bowed when he was substituted
in the 70th minute.
Reports say club officials are worried that Iniesta might leave if Vissel are
relegated. He signed a two-year extension to his contract in May last year
that reportedly takes him to the end of 2023.
Lotina has been replaced as manager by Takayuki Yoshida, who begins his third
stint in charge of the club.
"It's precisely because we're in this tight spot that everyone at Vissel
Kobe, starting with the fans and the sponsors, needs to band together and
overcome this difficult situation," said the 45-year-old Yoshida.
Iniesta joined Vissel in 2018 after making more than 600 appearances for
Barcelona, where he won the Champions League four times and lifted nine La
Liga titles.
At Vissel Iniesta has lined up alongside German World Cup-winner Lukas
Podolski and former Spain team-mate David Villa, and now plays with ex-
Barcelona pair Bojan Krkic and Sergi Samper.
Iniesta has found success hard to come by in Japan, with an Emperor's Cup win
in 2019 the only trophy he has managed to add to his massive collection.