Ivan Rakitić

[xXKonan]

As behindbrowneyes said, it's a tough pill to swallow to go from being a starter to just being a sub that quickly.

Seems like Busi may be going that route as well going by him being yanked for Vidal at HT vs Inter and not playing vs Sevilla. It's no coincidence why Rakitic and Busi are being phased out, both do not have legs anymore to be effective at what they were good at and the likes of Arthur and De Jong, provide much more upside right now than those two currently do.

All players don't age the same way, some players lose some attributes but still can age rather well such as Vidal right now if we are using Midfielders in the team. But guys such as Busi and Rakitic, both may not be injury prone but you could see age hasn't been too kind to them on a mobility standpoint and both are only 31 years old.

 

[God Serena]

Rakitic isn't good at anything. He doesn't have a single positive quality that would help the team and this has been obvious for years now, despite his legion of fans insisting he was crucial.

The guy was so far up his own ass that he couldn't even fathom the thought of new midfielders changing his status as an untouchable. It's nice to see it all come crashing down.

 

[Barcaman]

Rakitic: I need to play and not only enjoy walks around the city and the beach .



In few interviews he actually said he enjoyed easy life, beaches, etc. So now, that he is benched and has competition, he is motivated.Think he enjoyed easy life a bit too much (as many others among overpayed and overplayed amigos in Barca).

 

[JohnN]

I was almost sad for him. Then I remembered he is a 31 yo multimillionaire, who doesn't understand he is not as good as he once was and feels entitled.
It looks like the club told him to find a team in the summer.

 

[Messi983]

Yes...
I will skip that "croatian NT stuff" and go to Barcelona stuff...

Q: Koji je razlog ove situacije u Barceloni?
Q: What is the reason for this situation in Barcelona?
''To bih i ja volio znati. U nogometu se ponekad događaju stvari koje ne možeš razumjeti. Meni je jako neugodno, teško, navikao sam da igram. Sad se to malo promijenilo. Znam kakva je situacija. Da budem iskren, ne mogu to razumjeti. Jedva čekam vratiti se na teren. Sretan sam što imam fantastičnu obitelj, kada dođem kući prijeđem preko svega. Želim igrati nogomet, bacati se, isprljati se… Želim biti dio svoje reprezentacije. Duga je sezona, nadam se da ću se izboriti u Barceloni. Nadam se da će mi izbornik dati šansu u ove dvije utakmice.''

'' That's what I'd like to know. In football sometimes things happen that you cannot understand. I'm very uncomfortable, difficult, I'm used to playing. Now that has changed a bit. I know the situation. To be honest, I can't understand it. I can't wait to get back on the field. I'm happy to have a fantastic family, so when I get home I go over everything. I want to play football, to throw all on the pitch, to get dirty ... I want to be part of my NT team. It's a long season, I hope to fight in Barcelona.Hopefully the NT selector will give me a chance in these two games. ''


Q: Vidiš li se još u dresu Barcelone?
Q: Do you still see yourself in the Barcelona jersey?
''E, to ne znam. Situacija je takva kakva je. Želim igrati, a ne samo da budem dio momčadi. Dat ću sve od sebe, pokušat ću promijeniti situaciju. Nema boljeg kluba od Barcelone, igraš u najvećem klubu, s najboljim igračem možda i svih vremena. Želim igrati u Barceloni, ali moramo sjesti i vidjeti što je najbolje za mene.''

'' I don't know that. The situation is as it is. I want to play and not just be part of the team. I will do my best, I will try to change the situation. There is no better club than Barcelona, ​​you play in the biggest club, with the best player of all time. I want to play in Barcelona, ​​but we have to sit down and see what's best for me. ''


Q: Jesi li razgovarao s čelnicima Barcelone oko prijelaza u novi klub?
Q: Have you talked to the Barcelona leaders about moving to a new club?
''Moguće je da jesam. Situacija se razvila kako nisam očekivao. Želim igrati, ne želim plandovati u Barceloni. Moramo sjesti i analizirati situaciju. To smo i napravili. Na kraju sam ostao. Poštivanje prema klubu je maksimalno, borit ću se. Želim da vide da sam spreman kad uđem. Hvala publici kako me je dočekala ovacijama za vikend. Pet sam godina u klubu, imam skoro tristo utakmica. Ako ne ide, želim sjesti i vidjeti što ću.“

'' I may have been talking to them. The situation developed as I had not expected. I want to play, I don't want to "dance/around/enjoy causy life" in Barcelona. We need to sit down and analyze the situation. That's what we did. In the end, I stayed. Respect for the club is maximal, I will fight. I want them to see that I'm ready when I come in. Thanks to the audience for greeting me with a standing ovation for the weekend. I've been in the club for five years, I have almost three hundred games. If it's not going, I want to sit down and see what I do. "

Don't really see anything bad in what he has said but people here just hate him too much and they will crucify him for anything he'll say/do. The same with EV.

 

[Raketa10]

Rakitic isn't good at anything. He doesn't have a single positive quality that would help the team and this has been obvious for years now, despite his legion of fans insisting he was crucial.

The guy was so far up his own ass that he couldn't even fathom the thought of new midfielders changing his status as an untouchable. It's nice to see it all come crashing down.

Yeah because of that he has been considered as one of the best midfielders in Europe for years, Lucho and Valverde have used him more than any other player in our team and he has been named in the best 11 of La Liga 2 times in a row. This useless player was also a crucial player for Croatian NT during the last WC in Russia. It looks like some of you understand football much better than majority of football managers out there. Utterly stupid statement.

 

[Messi983]

Yeah because of that he has been considered as one of the best midfielders in Europe for years and he has been named in the best 11 of La Liga 2 times in a row. This useless player was also a crucial player for Croatian NT during the last WC in Russia. It looks like some of you understand football much better than majority of football managers out there.

You didn't realise yet that barcaforum is full of future potential worldclass managers?

 

[Raketa10]

You didn't realise yet that barcaforum is full of future potential worldclass managers?

Yeah I agree. When Mourinho said he was one of the most underrated players out there that only meant that 90% of this forum understands football much better than Mourinho does.

 

[JerseyAddict]

So to sort something out...Rakitić was good. If he were not he wouldn't have played that much. Now he is not that good, so he is benched.
Is he to blame for wanting to play? No. He is used to play, he want's to play. Like every player. He says he will train hard and work hard. That hewill not be here for sun and the sea. That is a GOOD THING.

He said he had offers, he said board/coach said him to stay (for some of their reasons) and he did. Now they benched him. And now it is his fault that he is here? He could have had a nice cousy life in PSG. he had choosen to stay in a mutual agreement with board/coach.

People are realy blinded. Worst signing and shit. Have you seen what kind of trash players were in Barcelona in last 10-20 years? OMG... and people call Rakitić bad.

If any player was not confident about his skills he wouldn't play even i Segunda, not in Barça. It is required from them to be selfconfident.

 

[YodaMaster]

Yeah I agree. When Mourinho said he was one of the most underrated players out there that only meant that 90% of this forum understands football much better than Mourinho does.

Man seriously, you’ll keep repeating that "Mourinho praised him" thing forever or what ?
Mourinho has an ideology, an idea of football that has nothing to do with what should take place at FC Barcelona.

Mourinho spends 90 millions on Lukakus, Mourinho played with a Khedira + Lass Diarra midfield at Real Madrid, he fucking put Pepe in his midfield in plenty Clasicos. Dude left Modric on the bench for such players. I couldn’t give a shit that he praised Rakitic, it means absolutely nothing. Matuidi is praised everywhere he goes by his coaches, be it PSG, Juve or French national team. Matuidi would still be a massive fraud at Barcelona. Because he doesn’t fit the football Barca is supposed to play.

Rakitic used to be a good midfielder, and even now he’s probably an above average mid. But Rakitic at Barca today is a total mismatch, if we want to be world class Barca and not post 2011 AC Milan/MU.

I agree with God Serena. Even though Rakitic still has footballing qualities of course, he has absolutely zero qualities left that would indicate that he should play before Arthur, FDJ, Vidal, Busquets or even Alena. If you disagree, tell me what superior qualities Ivan possess compared to our other midfielders.

 

[JerseyAddict]

Rakitic used to be a good midfielder, and even now he’s probably an above average mid. But Rakitic at Barca today is a total mismatch, if we want to be world class Barca and not post 2011 AC Milan/MU.

No one denies that nowdays there are mids better than him in Barça... but trash he is getting here is beyond normal state of mind. Worst signing, lazy fuck, trash, shit, etc etc... people are taking him for a scape goat.

 

[Sorin]

So now Rakitic is/was great and Valverde is a genius because he played him all the time? The same Valverde that saw our midfield getting abused by any team out there, even by the likes of Eibar and Alaves and still insisted on playing the same damn players over and over again. Also part of our greatest ever humiliations. Not our worst ever signing by any stretch of imaginations but the guy has overstayed his welcome for over 2 years and I'm being generous here. He could still be a good mid for some other team but for Barcelona's standards he's been mediocre for a few years now.

 

[JerseyAddict]

So now Rakitic is/was great and Valverde is a genius because he played him all the time? The same Valverde that saw our midfield getting abused by any team out there, even by the likes of Eibar and Alaves and still insisted on playing the same damn players over and over again. Also part of our greatest ever humiliations. Not our worst ever signing by any stretch of imaginations but the guy has overstayed his welcome for over 2 years and I'm being generous here. He could still be a good mid for some other team but for Barcelona's standards he's been mediocre for a few years now.

You are deliberately putting things out of the contents, twisting sentences and making false statements that we never said. EV was never genious, he overplayed Raki and yes he was a undisputable starter for to long. But, the thing is lots of folk here are shitting beyond every level. Yes, Rakitić was part of the Roma and Lpool defeats. Just like entire defence, entire midfield and half of an attack. For me, he is equaly to blame just like all of them except Messi and MAtS. They all fucked up big time. So now channeling all the hatred to one player is just not fair... and shows how the fans act.

 

[Sorin]

You are deliberately putting things out of the contents, twisting sentences and making false statements that we never said. EV was never genious, he overplayed Raki and yes he was a undisputable starter for to long. But, the thing is lots of folk here are shitting beyond every level. Yes, Rakitić was part of the Roma and Lpool defeats. Just like entire defence, entire midfield and half of an attack. For me, he is equaly to blame just like all of them except Messi and MAtS. They all fucked up big time. So now channeling all the hatred to one player is just not fair... and shows how the fans act.

When people(not you specifically) argue that Valverde used him so much to show what a valuable player Rakitic is/was you just lost the argument. Nobody said that Valverde was a genius, that is true, I was exaggerating just to make a point. When it suits their argument Valverde using Rakitic 24/7 is a good thing, next thing when he inevitably shits the bed then Valverde is a moron. Can't have it both ways I'm afraid.

All the club is at fault for our humiliations but there are levels to this too. I would put them in this order: Bartomeu, Valverde, midfield, defence/attack. And within these big categories there are the individuals who are more or less at fault. For midfield there is Busquets/Rakitic as the main guys at fault, for attack Suarez and the lack of any consistent winger, for defence almost all of them but would still single out Bob/Alba while the CB lack leadership and strong mentality. Agreed on Ter Stegen and Messi. My point though is that everyone gets blame, some more than others. I won't ever agree with the slating of Rakitic as "disgusting pos" and whatever other strong insult he gets but Bartomeu is called a rat, Valverde is called a retard left, right and center, Suarez fat, useless and other "nice" adjectives. Stop making it out to be that Rakitic is the only insulted one and the only scapegoat. Also, the interviews over the years didn't do him any favours. From coming out as homophobic and racist a few years back, to an entitled diva just this summer he hasn't helped him endear to the fans too much.

Anyway, let's just agree that he doesn't have any place in this team whatsoever at this point and leave it at that. And before someone accuses me of having a bias, other should take a back seat or leave too. Like Suarez, Busquets, Bob, Dembele, maybe Alba and probably more. Doesn't change the fact that Rakitic is finished for us and should leave for both our benefit and his.

 

[Messi983]

For people blaming EV for overplaying Raki over the last two seasons let me present you the alternatives we've had:

2017/18:

Busi - he was the other fixed starter (yeah, also undeservedly but we also didn't have any alternative to him) in midfield so never competed with Raki for playing time
Samper - not good enough, was on loan at Las Palmas, got injured and came back to recuperate and then went to Japan; if he would be as good as some people expected he would probably stay in a solid La Liga team or at least in a top 5 league
Oriol Busquets - he's not good enough for our first team now, he was nowhere good enough 2 years ago; even then, he's more a DM than a CM
Roberto - could be an option but he was our starting RB for most of the season; people would probably complain if he would play in midfield like they are now lol
Gomes - wasn't considered good enough and people hated him even more than they hate Raki now
Paulinho - hated at first, then had some good games but he was much better playing closer to the goal than doing "dirty work" in midfield as we've struggled whenever he has played in Raki/Busi role
Iniesta - already 33 in his last season here, couldn't play 90 minutes anymore and people complained he was overplayed as well
Alena - spent most of the season in Barça B, could maybe get a game here or there but he was not ready to start and is a more offensive player than Raki at this point of his career
Arda - could potentially play in midfield but everyone wanted to get rid off him which we eventually did in January
Denis - considered a flavor of the month/season by some people but he was never good enough to become a starter and not even a squad player
Rafinha - injured then loaned to Inter as we were trying to get rid off him
Coutinho - came in January and mostly shared his time with ageing Iniesta whom he was supposed to replace; but again, he is/was no Raki replacement

So while we had a lot of "midfielders" they were either too young/inexperienced, too old, shit, injured, hated, whatever... Yeah, Raki was overplayed but there were no clear alternatives who should absolutely play more to limit his minutes. We can't blame only EV for this.

2018/19:
- Busi - the same as above
- Oriol B. - the same as above
- Roberto - the same as above
- Gomes - loaned to Everton
- Arthur - started well and established himself as a starter but then got injured and was never the same in second half of the season (it was obviously all Valverde's fault )
- Vidal - opposite than Arthur, struggled at the start of the season with adaptaion to our system, then had some good apperances off the bench and got EV's confidence so he finished the season as a starter
- Alena - missed a chance to prove himself to EV in preseason because of injury then played some games for Barça B before getting promoted; he got some regular minutes after New Year but never really impressed
- Coutinho - he has played as a winger because we didn't have another starting calibre LW on the roster (we still don't lol unless we count Griezmann as a LW) with Dembele's injury problems; even in case EV would use him in midfield more he wouldn't play in Raki's role
- Rafinha - injured
- Denis - lol, then went on loan to Arsenal

So again, was Raki overplayed? Yes, but our alternatives were not all that good for different reasons.

Raki is/was a true workhorse who never got injured. He has never missed more than 4 games in a season during his time here and only missed more than 5 games when he was a 19-20 year-old kid at Schalke. So he was basically always available to play, knew the system and his role while other players struggled with injuries/adaptaion. No wonder he was playing so much though it would probably be better for both him personally and the team if he would rest more.


This season is the first one when we have not one but two younger players who are good enough to be starters, fit to play and adapted to our system. So not only Raki has lost his starting spot but Busi's minutes will hopefully diminish too (though he'll still play a lot) - he's a legend and all but he lost his legs years ago and not even playing alongside younger midfielders can hide this fact anymore as some people expected. We also have a veteran in Vidal who is now fully adapted and Roberto has moved to the midfield and while not ideal he still has younger/fresher legs than Raki. So this is the first season when we have not one or two but 4 or 5 midfielders equally good or better than Raki. And his playing time so far has dropped according to his new status.