Why Ivan Rakitic is irreplaceable for Barcelona and the most underrated superstar in football

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.4

Barcelona ace Ivan Rakitic in action in the Copa del Rey

Who 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.4

Rakitic 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.4

Ivan 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.4

Rakitic’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.

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If Henry is sacked it may also scupper Michy Batshuayi's hopes of securing a move from Chelsea to Monaco, which had been put on hold, before the end of the January transfer window next week.
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Sadio Mane's brace inspired Liverpool to a convincing 3-1 win at Bayern Munich and a place in the Champions League quarterfinals. The Senegal forward's excellent 26th-minute opener gave Jurgen Klopp's side a priceless away goal but, in a similar vein to the goalless first leg at Anfield, the action was fitful and error-strewn for the most part.

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Reuters reports that Manchester United have appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their permanent manager on a three-year contract, the Premier League club said on Thursday. The 46-year-old Norwegian has guided United to 14 wins in 19 matches in all competitions as caretaker boss since replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho in December.
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Crystal Palace have emerged as contenders to sign Roma striker Patrick Schick in January, according to reports in Italy. The 22-year-old Czech Republic striker has found his opportunities limited in Rome so far this season, with former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko preferred up front.

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