Ivan Rakitić

[YodaMaster]

FDJ is too much of a crack to restrict him by playing him as a DM. FDJ has best in the world CM potential. I’d play FDJ + Arthur with Vidal or... Todibo, cause there’s no interesting DM on the market. Keep Busquets on the bench and show him that he’ll have to fight and convince if he wants to be a starter again (like what Lucho did with Piqué). Busquets isn’t sellable, he’s a club legend and he’ll leave the club at 35 years old when his contract will take an end (like Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta, same will happen with Piqué).

What’s the point in keeping Rakitic ? Roberto who’ll be our weakest midfielder this season, can do everything Rakitic does. Except scoring 3 goals from distance. If you wanna keep a midfielder just cause he’ll score 3 goals while being ultimate shit for 85% of time, you’re not supporting the right team.

 

[xXKonan]

The only thing you can argue with Rakitic is his goal-scoring but that's about it these days.

Guys, who are controllers with potential be good attacking? De Jong and Arthur, Guys who could bring the work rate and Box to Box runs? Roberto, Vidal. I wrote before how Valverde has tried to use Rakitic more than just a standard workhorse, he has used him more as a defensive controlling CM to help mask Iniesta's aging legs.

But in reality, his role only worked against fodder and often struggled in big games in that role other than the Classico. Guys like Arthur and De Jong are actual real controllers who are far suited for those roles instead.

And back to the workhorse stuff, Vidal despite being a year older than Rakitic and Busi, he still seems to have the legs and commitment to fill that role. Roberto isn't perfect but he's still a hard worker and has the energy to fit that role as well.

Would we lose some goal scoring from the Midfield? sure for the time being, but the gains you get from the likes of having Arthur, De Jong, Vidal, Roberto IMO are far more important than just having some guy who can bang one in every now and then while having nothing else anymore.

 

[DonAndres]

Rakitic goals are like Sergi Roberto assists. Constantly hyped up and talked about except for the very instances when we've actually needed them in the CL knockout stages. Every year, with unnerving consistency.

 

[Arizona Scott]

the only thing more annoying than people thinking rakitic should be the undisputed starter--every match and play 90+, are those who say vidal and busi should be undisputed starters with such conditions. they all have limits as midfielders (bob even more btw). but the hate heats specifically at rakitic is disproportionate, and so deeply far off anything rationale and without being loaded in hypocrisy (many of the same limits or worse are ignored in others). and interesting for bob when he is playing at something he does better (rb, rw) than having to make center of the pitch decisions like a cm he is more crucified in what he is more serviceable at. bob seriously isnt on these guys (or fdj or arthurs) level as cm.

 

[Raketa10]

Some of you people won't realize how important it is to get him away from Valverde until Frenkie de Jong and Arthur are benched for a midfield of Vidal - Busquets - Rakitic again in a key CL game.

Giving Valverde the possibility to even play Rakitic is like giving a drug addict high quality crystal meth.

I find it a bit hilarious though, how this supposed outstanding player has absolutely no suitors in this transfer market when several teams have been on the look for a good CM. Barca want 50m for him which isn't even a lot in this market, but according to multiple Catalan sources, there have been no offers at all for him.

Here you basically confirmed that our problem is Valverde not Rakitic. If we had a decent manager Rakitic and Busi wouldn't start together and we wouldn't even have this conversation. We should talk more about how shit Valverde is and stop attacking Rakitic or Coutinho 24/7.

 

[EdmondDantes]

Looking at Liverpool vs Norwich. It's obvious. Raki and Busi needs to go. They Have no business vs top teams in the world any more.

Fabinho is a monster. He doesn't even need to tackle to nick the ball off the opponent - on their own half even - since he's got tentacles for legs. That's how high Klopp sets his DM against minnows.
And on the ball he's marvelous.

Meanwhile here....


And Henderson, since Klopp signed Fabinho and stopped playing him as a DM, has become a much better 'Rakitic' than what Rakitic is today (as a CM). A Jack of a couple of trades, lots of stamina, workhorse type. And Henderson is a player I don't particularly rate that much.

 

[clemente]

I can't grasp how for 3 whole years, the best in the history and not even a top 100 in the world midfielder both as starters played at the same time.

 

[Zidane82]

Fabinho is a monster. He doesn't even need to tackle to nick the ball off the opponent - on their own half even - since he's got tentacles for legs. That's how high Klopp sets his DM against minnows.
And on the ball he's marvelous.

Meanwhile here....


And Henderson, since Klopp signed Fabinho and stopped playing him as a DM, has become a much better 'Rakitic' than what Rakitic is today (as a CM). A Jack of a couple of trades, lots of stamina, workhorse type. And Henderson is a player I don't particularly rate that much.

Jesus .. Fabinho behind FDJ and Arthur would be dreamland .

Swap Suarez for Firmino and we’d dominate football again

 

[underoath]

Remember most people here agree Rakitic is fine for La Liga, he controls the game.. teams back off, especially at Camp Nou. That's great.

But the big CL games where we've been knocked out the last few seasons are the ones we get judged on the most and Rakitic in those becomes one of, if not the worst player on the field. These are the games he backpasses and shits his pants with the high pressing of the other team.

I'm pretty sure Umtiti and Alba are the worst player against Roma and Liverpool but as usual it's because of Valverde, Rakitic, Busi, Roberto the usual scapegoats.
Arthur will contribute nothing against a team that park a bus or when the team needs to score, and we don't need to talk about his defense where he doesn't exist

 

[ASordidGod]

Fabinho is a monster. He doesn't even need to tackle to nick the ball off the opponent - on their own half even - since he's got tentacles for legs. That's how high Klopp sets his DM against minnows.
And on the ball he's marvelous.

Meanwhile here....


And Henderson, since Klopp signed Fabinho and stopped playing him as a DM, has become a much better 'Rakitic' than what Rakitic is today (as a CM). A Jack of a couple of trades, lots of stamina, workhorse type. And Henderson is a player I don't particularly rate that much.

Henderson is bang average. And that's being generous. I mean come on, I get not rating Rakitic, I'm with you there, but looking enviously at Jordan freaking Henderson? You go too far, sir; way too far. ��

 

[clemente]

I'm pretty sure Umtiti and Alba are the worst player against Roma and Liverpool but as usual it's because of Valverde, Rakitic, Busi, Roberto the usual scapegoats.
Arthur will contribute nothing against a team that park a bus or when the team needs to score, and we don't need to talk about his defense where he doesn't exist

Blaming Alba makes 0 sense, he was our 3rd best player the whole season, not his fault Rakitic was giving him suicide passes.
Also he is a small guy, he will get towered by Bale or Dzeko every time, this is why parking bus is retarded on a whole another level, let him bomb forward and pressure opponents, even though it is a weakness of his, it's not his fault that the coach bitched out last second and decided to play against his and pretty much everyone in this squad style.

 

[BBZ8800]

it's not his fault that the coached bitched out last second and decided to play against his and pretty much everyone in this squad style.

You do know that on majority of occasions, except during Pep, we were eaten alive in Europe when we played attacking.

Playing attacking in Europe is suicidal, unless if you have prime Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busi, Alves.
Playing defensive like EV is also suicidal since our team is short and not overly defensive.

So, a million dollar question is: how to play with Barca without prime Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busi, Alves, since neither too attacking nor too defensive is working?

I mean, you see that even father Pep hasn't found a formula yet: how to win without prime Messi.

Ev's style is shit for Europe.
But naive, too attacking way (Barca 1993-2005) is far worse than EV's style.

Remember again getting knocked out 3 times in a group stage of a CL with our style in late 90s.
And defeats to European giants like Dynamo Kiev, Cska Moscow, Besiktas, Leeds, Newcastle, Psv etc.

 

[mc_lovin]

You just conviniently forget that we got much more professional as a club. In general teams with money got a lot better translating this onto the pitch. Just find the best talent available and play them. If those are midgets who cares. But then again a Frenkie-Arthur lineup is physically stronger than Xavi-Iniesta.

 

[jairzinho]

Looking at Liverpool vs Norwich. It's obvious. Raki and Busi needs to go. They Have no business vs top teams in the world any more.

After the defeats against Liverpool and Valencia, I honestly thought I’d seen the last of these guys. Now it looks like they will both start against Bilbao.

 

[clemente]

You do know that on majority of occasions, except during Pep, we were eaten alive in Europe when we played attacking.

Playing attacking in Europe is suicidal, unless if you have prime Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busi, Alves.
Playing defensive like EV is also suicidal since our team is short and not overly defensive.

So, a million dollar question is: how to play with Barca without prime Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busi, Alves, since neither too attacking nor too defensive is working?

I mean, you see that even father Pep hasn't found a formula yet: how to win without prime Messi.

Ev's style is shit for Europe.
But naive, too attacking way (Barca 1993-2005) is far worse than EV's style.

Remember again getting knocked out 3 times in a group stage of a CL with our style in late 90s.
And defeats to European giants like Dynamo Kiev, Cska Moscow, Besiktas, Leeds, Newcastle, Psv etc.

Lmao you play to your squad abilities, not how it is "supposed to be played in Europe".
Our squad was the best in the world attacking wise, but we were playing defensive, it's that simple, I rather lose attacking than get stomped on trying to defend using attackers.