During an interview with FC Barcelona’s new signing Ivan
Rakitić (), the player was asked many questions about his
new coach and teammates. Ivan Rakitić seems to have
seamlessly blended with his new team. The Swiss-born
Croatian humbly follows the Barça dressing room routine,
and wants to become a key part of the team. In addition, his
performance was noticed during Barça’s preseason which had
different, vertical football, with good ball-striking and
powerful middle-distance shots. He came to Barça willing to
take a giant leap in quality in his football career.
Being a month at the club, Was it easy to absorb all the
changes with respect to Sevilla FC?
Honestly, the changes are noticed, but it’s hard to explain
how. Overall, the general idea of football does not change
much because the ideas of Unai Emery are similar to those of
Luis Enrique. Here the idea is similar to the one in Sevilla
which includes possession and pressure, and that is helping me
a lot.
You one said that Felix Magath was the most demanding
coach you played for. Is Luis Enrique as demanding?
There is only one Magath in the world (smiles) … What you
learn with him is awesome. I am very grateful for the year
and a half I had with him at Schalke 04, but the way he works
is different, very difficult to bear, which requires a lot
physically and also because you never know if tomorrow you
train in the evening or morning, he always left everything
open. Luis Enrique is different; he has very clear ideas, leaves
no doubt, and works on all the details. Everything is very
professional, even in his talks, he never has lingering
questions, and he focuses to the last detail. He has very clear
ideas and that is very important to us.
Read more from Rakitić’s interview after the jump.
What does Luis Enrique ask for from the players?
He asks that each player must bring his style and his idea, and
I am no exception. The pressure, for example, I prepared
physically and I wish to contribute positively to the team. I
also like having the ball, to play with the team, and to try
shots from 20 or 25 meters if I see a gap.
In Seville, you looked very comfortable playing with
spaces and a more vertical style of football. The style of
Barça demands more combination and is close to the
rivals’ defenses.
Yeah, but I want to play my own football, which is why I am
here. I cannot say I’m going to play like Messi or
Iniesta. People already know me from Sevilla and that is my
style of play. I think it will be easy to adapt in Barca with such
good players. So far it is fine for me, I’m happy, but I need
keep improving in every practice and every game.
Last year you scored 12 goals in La Liga, Will you surpass
this figure at Barça?
I don’t want to put any goal limit for myself, what I want is to
be better as a player. If I can also improve the numbers, then
the better of course, but the important thing is the result.
Now you compete for all the titles at stake: La Liga, Copa
del Rey and Champions League. Which one are you most
excited for?
Honestly, all of them. There isn’t a trophy that is more
important than another. The league shows how consistent the
team is but here at Barça , they are all important. The team
must fight for all competitions.
It seems that competition in Real Madrid will be tougher
than ever. The general feeling after the European Super
Cup is that Madrid is scary.
I respect everyone, even Madrid, but I prefer to talk about my
club. We work for our own, as every team in the league
does. We are also able to be as scary and play well. We will
work very hard, I assure you.
Do you already feel the intensity of the Barça-Madrid
rivalry?
It is normal for big teams to live that rivalry, but we have to
think about ourselves. At Barça , we have the world’s best
players.
You were introduced as a natural replacement for Cesc
Fabregas and with Cesc’s departure, people see you now
as heir to Xavi.
For me, the best news is that Xavi is staying at the club and
that I will be able to continue learning from him, both on and
off the field. I was the captain in Sevilla and although I’m still
young I believe in the future I may also wear the armband
here, if so, I will be able to say that I have learned everything
from Xavi. Each day I try to learn from everyone, and to
assimilate details of each partner to understand them more
during games.
Which player has surprised you the most?
All Barca players are not just good, they are great. Imagine
training every day with the best players in the world. It’s
amazing all that Messi can give, and now I’m enjoying every
moment, every practice, there is so much quality collected in
22 or 23 players. |
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