As a bit of an outsider, I never really got the hate for Rakitic from a lot of you here. Disappointment yes, but hate - hell no. But, that's just how I'm wired (and I know a lot of you aren't).
Maybe I can be a bit objective (although being Croatian, you'll fight me on that). When you bought him, I was surprised because I didn't see where you would fit him, especially given the position he played at Sevilla. Then, after a couple of matches, I realized why you bought him, basically to be a babysitter and a safety for Messi. And that worked out great for Messi and Barcelona, but not for him. Because that was the beginning of his decline to the player he once was. Did you not see him play at Sevilla? And how many of that type of plays did you get out of him here? Not many, I would guess. Because he wasn't suppose to do that. Also, the reason he was great that first (treble winning) season (and you could argue the second season) was Dani Alves, one of the all time great RB's who complimented both Ivan's and Leo's game perfectly. The moment you let Dani walk and didn't get a proper replacement, you began struggling on the right flank and that struggle exists even today (and possibly for the foreseeable future depending how Leo's saga unfolds and how Koeman is going to set the pieces on the field).
IMHO, after you lost a proper RB, your managers never learned how to utilize him in a different way, since it was obvious he was only going to get worse at the position he was asked to play (without the proper help from the RB and especially Leo). His loss of former play-style also affected his performances for Croatian NT where he was (and is) a shell of his former self and basically was (is) riding the Modric wave. I remember saying this to my friends even in your treble season. So, I saw this coming but I assumed your manager would find another position or even try him in a different role. That didn't happen and the rest is literally history.
Don't get me wrong, I think today's Ivan (and going a couple of years now) is way past the quality required for modern top tier football but share some objective light on the fact that it wasn't all his fault. Scapegoating is an easy way out used primarily by cowards. At the end of the day, this is a team's game. The fact he didn't participate in the debacle against Bayern tells you a lot (I'm not saying it would have been any different had he played) about your issues.
Anyways, you're in for some serious changes and should actually be glad that a player who is not in club's future plans left with no drama or harsh language. I sense some of your other signed-off players won't leave as gracefully, so you could end up with your very own "Bale/s".
