Timbe heaps praise on Iniesta after maiden game together

Kenyan international Ayub Timbe has lauded former Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta after featuring together for the first time in Vissel Kobe’s barren draw against Tokyo FC in the Japanese Levain Cup.

Iniesta was making his second appearance for Kobe since he tore the rectus femoris muscle in his right leg in a game between Vissel Kobe and Suwon in the Asian Champions League in December.

Timbe was making his second start for Kobe since signing for the club back in February but had to wait for his first game that came in April due to the Covid-19 restriction in Japan.

Speaking after the barren draw against Tokyo FC, Timbe opened up playing with Brazilian forward Lincoln and Iniesta as he hopes to foster his partnership with the duo.

“Some of the practice was done while communicating well, and there were some things that went well and some things that didn't work in today's game. Both Lincoln and Iniesta are great players and playing with them is not that difficult. I think that the combination will get better as we play more games,” said the Kenyan winger. 

This was the first time that Timbe clocked 90 minutes for Kobe and the first time he did so since October 2019 for Beijing Renhe.

The former Reading FC player was delighted after clocking 90 minutes after staying for almost nine months without competitive football.

“90 minutes. I'm really happy that I was able to play for 90 minutes. I think I was able to gradually improve my understanding of the condition and the tactics of the team and join the team,”

“I found that the condition gradually improved and the feeling improved during the match, so I think it was a good 90 minutes in that sense as well,” said the 28-year-old.