It's just the go to for people who are afraid to admit a lot of our players are just at best mediocre. Rakitic just needed a rest for several years too, apparently.
Already the life has been sucked out of him. In his first few games he did what he did at Ajax; dribbled past some guys, very good on the ball. Now he rarely cross the halfway line and mostly just pass backwards every time.
Or maybe it was a false dawn? Remember, it's not like he was rated at Ajax by Ajax fans or Dutch fans in general. Daniel James also started out banging goals and assists for Manchester United, only to completely stagnate and then decline for the next 1.5 years. A good start does not mean it's their real quality, similarly a decline in form doesn't mean that's their real quality either. Regardless, just don't be too quick to blame the club.