Ivan Rakitić

[Vilarrubi]

Rakitic is way out of form, he looks slow on the ball and 90% of his passes are sideways or backwards.

BUT I don't think Denis or Gomes have shown anything to suggest that they could take a starting place in our side.

I hope that it is a wake up call for Rakitic and he can start playing at his usual level again. In 14/15 he was a beast, even last season was pretty solid.

 

[gasgas]

We looked better because Iniesta is back, not because denis or gomes are playing better than Rakitic. Because they aren't.

Where did I say that Gomes, Denis are playing better/worse than Rakitic.
All I said is that, Rakitic has been out a few matches and the team looked very good and lucho sticks with what is working

 

[FlaFCB]

Where did I say that Gomes, Denis are playing better/worse than Rakitic.
All I said is that, Rakitic has been out a few matches and the team looked very good and lucho sticks with what is working

You said the team is looking better without him, as if this was the reason. And it's only because Iniesta got back. Rakitic hasn't started or played with Iniesta since Andres got back from injury.

 

[gasgas]

Why? Because some folks insisted on buying them? Is it a MUST to integrate players who proven to be lower standards than the rest of the team?
When you buy a piece of tire but it turns out it's smaller than the other three tires, do you forcefully put it on your car's right forward wheel, just because it can't go "wasted"? No, you wouldn't do that, you'd go back to the market and exchange the wrong size for a proper one.



Things most definitely do not work like that behind the scene. Once a regular player feels he is dropped, neglected or underestimated, he usually starts having rather serious problems, which will generally be solved by either leaving or by the change of the coach... Rakitic probably hasn't reached that point, but could - relatively soon.

Things definitely don't work like that in football.
You sign players, you give them opportunities until they prove failure then get rid of them,
Not buying players then keep them in the warehouse because they have not adapted in two months

 

[gasgas]

You said the team is looking better without him, as if this was the reason. And it's only because Iniesta got back. Rakitic hasn't started or played with Iniesta since Andres got back from injury.

"As if this was the reason" but it wasn´t

The team playing better happened with Rakitic out,

That's all I said, not comparing Rakitic and anyone

I don't think Iniesta returning is the only reason, but it is a strong reason though, but not the only

 

[FlaFCB]

"As if this was the reason" but it wasn´t

The team playing better happened with Rakitic out,

That's all I said, not comparing Rakitic and anyone

I don't think Iniesta returning is the only reason, but it is a strong reason though, but not the only

What else is there? It's only because Iniesta is back, and the midfield is functional again. There is no other reason, nothing else changed.

 

[Ustari]

Busi back into form?

 

[FlaFCB]

Busi back into form?

Directly related to Iniesta being back, to me. He finally has someone to play with again.

 

[Co0ter]

Directly related to Iniesta being back, to me. He finally has someone to play with again.

^ Yup

 

[JerseyAddict]

Croatian press is full of articles that this is an blackmail fraud by Barça management to force him to signe with no extra raise on wages or just to "pop and leave". Off course it is all "related" to theroy that Club just doesn' have money for Messi raise and they have to cut on others.

 

[kilian]

cut

IMO, that is a pretty bad comparison. You are comparing 3 really tough games in which the whole team played like shit with 3 much easier and with Don Andres back. Why didn`t Messi play spectacular against Madrid/Sociedad/City? If he can`t play good how could Rakitic, who is two levels beneath him?

Against Espanyol we would`ve won even if Denis stood still in the center circle, he was almost a non factor. Iniesta controlled the midfield and Messi and Suarez did the job in attack.

Rakitic played bad in a team that was disjointed and played terrible football. That could be said for many other players in the team. Denis/Gomes/Rafinha definitely didn`t deserve to get his starting spot with their performances.

I don`t know if this really is a blackmail by Barca management. If it is, it`s pretty pathetic and I really don`t like it, because I don`t want to support that kind of a club. If i wanted to support a club that treats players like trash, I would`ve gone with Madrid a long time ago.

I would also say that it is okay that he doesn`t get a raise, but I would expand that to all other players. I mean come on, you are already making a ton of money, why do you need a huge raise every time you extend the contract?
Are we really affraid that our legends and very important players would leave if they didn`t get a big payraise with every new contract? If that`s true, it is pretty pathetic. At least for me.

 

[BBZ8800]

According to you @BBZ8800, the entire team need to benched/sold and new players brought in for all positions every second year.

Kind of ridiculous.

No.
I have said (the same as what our club was doing in the past):
1. keep the core (usually La Masia world class players and some younger foreigners)
2. rotate foreigners (especially older foreigners) after they stay here for 3-4 years (this is how long usually 1 cycle lasts nowadays, unless if your name is Messi, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta or Busi)

I don`t know if this really is a blackmail by Barca management. If it is, it`s pretty pathetic and I really don`t like it, because I don`t want to support that kind of a club. If i wanted to support a club that treats players like trash, I would`ve gone with Madrid a long time ago.

Imo, a lot of our fans are way too romantic and are looking at our club as at some "holy" or much holier club than others.
Ok, we are holier than others in some things, but our former presidents and coaches have done tons of shit regarding some legends and normal players.

Rivaldo?
= best player of Barca for years, and we just sold him when Van Gaal returned for the 2nd time, because Van Gaal didn't like him
Rivaldo back then was almost like Messi today (how important he was for us. Way more important than Iniesta, Neymar or Suarez today, for example)
In May of 2001, in the last round against Valencia, he scored a hattrick in a 3:2 win and a winning spectacular goal in the 88th minute to secure us a Champions league spot (against CL finalists Valencia).

He scored 36 goals for Barca in that season.
Only 1 year later, we told him: get lost now, we don't need you anymore, a coach has different plans.
He was aged 30.

Oleguer Presas?
When Rijkaard came, we were short on defenders, we had only Puyol, Marquez and Edmilson, only 3 Cbs.
Edmilson injured knee ligaments in 2004/05 season and was out for a season, and our other Cdm option Motta also sustained the same injury and was out for a season.
Marquez was moved to play a Cdm for the whole season, and we had only 1 Cb left (Puyol).
Our only option was to try Oleguer.
Oleguer stepped in as a partner for Puyol and we won 2 La Liga titles and a CL in 2006.
In 2004/05, he was a starter Cb for the whole season.
In a 2005/06, when Edmilson was back at Cdm, and Marquez was new Puyol's partner on Cbs, Oleguer moved to a RB position and he was more or less a starting RB instead of Belletti, who played very poor.
So, he was a starter in 2 seasons when we didn't have other options and we won 2 La ligas with him.
Oleguer played 43 and 44 matches in those two winning seasons.

After that, we bought Thuram and Zambrotta from Juventus when Juve was relegated.
And Oleguer didn't play too much anymore.

We didn't win any trophies with Thuram and Zambrotta, and Oleguer was released from a club in a summer for 2008.
That was our "thanks for everything, man!", we have "better" options now.

How we sold and forced Etoo to leave after everything he has done for a club?
And how we sold Ibra only one year later?

Or Ronaldinho?
We had this:

"Only" 2 and half years later it turned into: fuck off, we don't want you here anymore, you need to leave at all costs.

So, it is not as if we are that "holy" and that we are rewarding our players years and years after some success.

On one hand, it is somewhat stupid to releasing players who were good in the past.
On the other hand, what, we should wait for them now forever because they achieved some things in the past?
It is a very tricky situation.
You can't sell player after 2 bad Months, but you also can't keep him forever if he is not what you need anymore.

I would also say that it is okay that he doesn`t get a raise, but I would expand that to all other players. I mean come on, you are already making a ton of money, why do you need a huge raise every time you extend the contract?
Are we really affraid that our legends and very important players would leave if they didn`t get a big payraise with every new contract? If that`s true, it is pretty pathetic. At least for me.

Domino effect.
MSN and their wages created a hunger in our players from our team.
Now everyone will want higher wages.

It was said a lot of times: having MSN is a blessing in a lot of ways, but it is also killing the club in so many ways:
1. you can't bench them no matter how bad they play
2. they are ruining a wage structure and thus relations with other teammates
3. you can't buy a good 4th attacker since no one wants to be their sub (except guys like Paco and Munir)

 

[kilian]

The club cannot be a hostage of any player, let alone three players. I personally don`t believe that Messi is asking so much money that the club can`t afford it, but time will tell.

I know that Barca treated players badly before, but I don`t remember a situation like this with Rakitic (if true) in recent history. The guy gave all he got to Barca and it would be sad to treat him like this because of a fucking contract. I know he gets payed a lot to do what he does, but he works his ass off in every game and I just don`t like the fact that this situation shows a lack of respect for that

What does that say to other players? You can work you ass off all you want, we won`t respect that and blackmail you after 2-3 bad games so we can give some other guy a bigger contract. No player is worth that kind of behaviour towards other players.

I hope it`s not true.

 

[Dado]

http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/predsjednik-barcelone-enrique-je-kaznio-rakitica/939044.aspx

https://translate.google.com/transl...que-je-kaznio-rakitica/939044.aspx&edit-text=

However, he admitted that the Croatian national team punished - not for want of a better contract, but apparently due to poor form.
"If you happen to not be part no tomorrow in the cup against Hercules, we can talk about" the case Rakitic ".
This so far was only a mild sentence. As the Rafinha was fined for his words, so Ivan was now due to poor form, "said Bartomeu the player who did not play the last three games.

Just does not make sense...

 

[kilian]

It`s like he was at fault for conceding 10 goals and losing games, instead of being mediocre in a team in shit form, playing crappy football. What about Busquets, who was in shitty form for some time now, until the last few games? What about many other players who played like crap in those games?

It`s one thing to bench him for a few games and tell some standard comment to the press, like "we have many players, we have to rotate bla bla", but another is when the president of the club singles you out like this.

Weird and definitely not good. I would feel like shit after this kind of treatment.