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Barcelona star right to be concerned with his place at the club

By Rucker Haringey

SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN - JANUARY 19: Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona reacts during the Copa del Rey Quarter Final, First Leg match between Real Sociedad de Futbol and FC Barcelona at Estadio Anoeta on January 19, 2017 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN - JANUARY 19: Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona reacts during the Copa del Rey Quarter Final, First Leg match between Real Sociedad de Futbol and FC Barcelona at Estadio Anoeta on January 19, 2017 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) /
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Ivan Rakitic won’t be at Barcelona much longer

Reports have surfaced that Ivan Rakitic is concerned with his place at Barcelona. He sees that he’s fallen down Luis Enrique’s pecking order and is anxious to sign a new deal with the club. Unfortunately for the talented midfielder, he has every right to fear for his future with the La Liga giants.

The Croatian midfielder told FourFourTwo that he is “worried” about his recent lack of playing time, but still has confidence in his own abilities. Furthermore, he’s anxious to commit his future to the club soon. His current deal with Barcelona runs through 2019.

His anxiety is well deserved. Enrique is clearly investigating other, younger options to take his place in the starting XI. In particular, Rafinha and Andre Gomes seem primed to take a serious bite out of Rakitic’s playing time. Both men are younger, and potentially more dynamic options for Enrique in the midfield.

In fairness to Rakitic, it isn’t as if he has played poorly this season. He’s posted a respectable Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.08 in his 13 La Liga appearances. That’s perfectly adequate play. Unfortunately, adequate play isn’t good enough for Barcelona.

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Age will also be a factor when Barcelona opt to sell him. He’s 28-years-old and is likely playing the best football of his career. At the very least, it’s unlikely that he will improve over the next several seasons. Odds are, his performance will start to dip slightly.

Rakitic also is at a disadvantage due to his position on the pitch. He plays in a midfield three that’s not exactly devoid of talent. Currently, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets occupy two of the starting spots. Iniesta is essentially a better version of Rakitic. There’s no question which player is more important to the Catalan club’s attack.

The role Busquets plays in Enrique’s midfield is drastically different from what Rakitic can provide. He provides muscle in the middle of the pitch. Even if Barcelona decide to put Busquets on the bench, Rakitic certainly wouldn’t be in the frame to take his spot.

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Add all those factors up, and it’s pretty obvious that Ivan Rakitic’s days at Barcelona are numbered. He may survive the season, but it would be a big surprise if he begins the 2017-18 campaign with Messi and company.

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