Why Ivan Rakitic is irreplaceable for Barcelona and the most underrated superstar in football
At a team full of superstars, and from a country where Luka Modric gets all the praise, Ivan Rakitic has managed to be an underrated serial title winner.For his Bara coach however, he couldnt be any more important.Barcelonas 2-0 win over Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou on Saturday guaranteed they go into the New Year top of the La Liga table, maintaining a three-point distance on their nearest rivals and ensuring that defending the title is still entirely up to them.
4Barcelona ace Ivan Rakitic in action in the Copa del ReyWho will get the plaudits for the mature display? Perhaps Ousmane Dembl, whose opener was his seventh goal of the league season. Or Jordi Alba, with a pair of excellent assists. The little Argentinian guy in the number 10 shirt, who also scored and was typically brilliant, may just get a few column inches too.The person many wont write about though was the Barcelona number four who time and time again provided the platform for his more eye-catching teammates to build upon.Ivan Rakitic, who started for the 15th time this La Liga season, was the lungs of a Bara side in which he continues to do the unglamorous work at the expense of showing off his sizeable individual talent.Being quietly vital is the theme of his 2018. While Luka Modric was busy collecting the Ballon dOr spurred largely by his performance at the World Cup, few chimed up to point out that Rakitic was also a titanic figure in Croatias run to the final.
4Rakitic talks to Luka Modric as Croatia lose to France in the World Cup final.Remember, this is the player whose ice-cold definitive penalty against Denmark sent Croatia into the quarter-finals. Who then produced another in the next game that eliminated Russia and took his nation to the semis. Not to mention delivered perfect pass after perfect pass, tackle after tackle and right decision after right decision in that unlikely run to the final hurdle in Russia. He couldnt have done any more.Modric got the glory though, and at Barcelona, others do so too.Yet Ernesto Valverde, the man whose opinion really matters in the Catalan capital, is well aware how indispensable the blonde-haired warrior is.Along with Sergio Busquets, Rakitic has played more games than any other outfield player for Barcelona this season, including appearing in an in theory straightforward Copa del Rey return leg against Cultural Leonesa in which the coach judged his presence was still necessary, just to be sure.Put simply, he is one of the few irreplaceable Bara players not a small feat when the company in that category is the likes of Messi, Busquets or Gerard Pique. Philippe Coutinho, Arturo Vidal or increasingly popular Brazilian pass-master Arthur may drop in and out of the team, but Rakitic is always there.
4Ivan Rakitic celebrates a Barcelona goal with his team-mates.Whether its on the right of midfield, the left, as a midfield pivot or even emergency centre-back as was the case on one occasion this season, his presence makes life easier for the defending champions. Its as a left-sided central midfielder, in theory an unnatural role for him, that the Croatian has been particularly vital for Valverde as of late.In his quest to find balance on the side of the pitch that features the anarchic Dembele without sacrificing the playmaking influence of Jordi Alba, the Bara managers solution has been to shuttle Rakitic across to put everything right.On Saturday the midfielder was Mr Fix-It once again: always tidy, never taking unfeasible risks but still looking to play the ball forward whenever possible. He was also relentless in trying to win it back, doing so on seven occasions (forperspective, the closest any other Bara player got was three).And the recoveries were important ones too, whether it was stopping Brais Mendez from being played in behind Clement Lenglet with acres of space that the winger would have been able to exploit, or holding up Hugo Mallo to kill an attack where the away team was at a numerical advantage. Even the one ball Rakitic lost was recovered five seconds later as he leapt to his feet to undo the rare error.
4Rakitic’s stunning volley against Tottenham Hotspur has been one of the goals of the season.Then theres his positioning, a constant quest to make life easier for his team. Sometimes it involves slotting in to the deep area of midfield to provide the first passing option for Busquets when the Catalan places himself between the centre-backs.On other occasions, hes on the left wing to put out fires behind Alba and Dembele. The Croatian will also appear in the space behind the attack to look for a splitting pass or lofted ball to an overlapping full-back in the final third, but only when it isnt a risk to his team. Hes as tactically sharp as they come. Yet is he particularly loved among Barcelona fans? Not really.There is even a minority who have a bizarre chip on their shoulder about the 30-year-old and insist he isnt Bara material. They must be watching with different eyes to his coach, who not for the first time highlighted his importance to providing Bara with balance following the Celta win.What the people who dont rate Rakitic highly enough think is clearly of little importance to Valverde. You get the impression it would be of even less importance to Rakitic himself, the silent hero who any manager would want.
The latest Tweets from Man U News (@manunews). The Twitter account of the web's original unofficial Manchester United News site, bringing you all Man Utd news, rumours, trends & Man Utd scoops.
Manchester United fans on Twitter call for Jose Mourinho to
Tayla Harris: Aussie Rules star slams online trolls over
Sergio Romero starts in goal instead of the rested David De Gea and Chris Smalling replaces Eric Bailly, while Romelu Lukaku and Juan Mata come in for the injured pair of Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard. We'll have to wait to see if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can squeeze any ketchup out of Alexis Sanchez, who starts on the bench.
Manchester United - LineNews.in
Man Utd target Daniel James withdraws from Wales squad after dad's death. Swansea winger was called-up by Ryan Giggs for a training camp in Portugal ahead of next month's Euro qualifiers
Daniel James withdraws from Wales squad following bereavement
May 31, 2019 · UEFA Champions League final preview, team news, weather, venue, Madrid, Tottenham v Liverpool, Premier League, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino
Champions League: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sings during TV
Manchester United have offered a new deal to Juan Mata as Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia head the list of players leaving the club.. Mata, who joined from Chelsea in January 2014, has been
Report: Valencia wants to leave Man United - ProSoccerTalk
Best atmospheres in football: Reporters pick most electric stadiums, including Anfield, Celtic Park and White. The old White Hart Lane was rocking under Harry
The incredible story of Chelsea's 106-year stay at Stamford
backpagefootball.com/the-incredible-story-of-chelsea’s-106-year-stay-at-stamford-bridge/27640/
Aided by the entrepreneur Frederick W. Parker, a stadium plan was devised with the renowned architect Archibald Leitch - who had planned Ibrox, Celtic Park, Hampden Park and played a part in the development of stadiums such as Old Trafford, Anfield, Highbury, Landsdowne Road and White Hart Lane. Leitch's works before football were
Google News - São Paulo Futebol Clube - Latest
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has refused to rule Jack Wilshere out of his plans this season.. There are fears that former Arsenal midfielder Wilshere's campaign could be over as he continues to
Why the number 19 shirt is of special significance to Jack
Pep Guardiola has rubbished suggestions by Jurgen Klopp that Manchester City have "no sign of weakness".. Liverpool boss Klopp also claimed that "only City can stop City" when asked about the Premier League title race this week.
Pep Guardiola dismisses Jurgen Klopp's claim Manchester City
Every club is forced to deal with an injury crisis at some stage, but it certainly isn't always the case that these things even themselves out over the course of a season. We've taken a look at the top six sides in the Premier League this season to see who's suffered the most from absent players and whether or not they had the depth to
Football players in Premier League clubs have seen an
STEVEN GERRARD is ready to turf several players out of his Rangers squad as he looks to end Celtic's dominance in Scotland. Several players in his squad are seen as dead weight and according to the Scottish Sun the likes of Kyle Lafferty, Borna Barisic and Eros Grezda have big decisions to
Hulu to release Fyre Festival documentary series
0 Comments