Ex-Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic gives take on Real Madrid’s European success – ‘It’s easy to explain’

For many, Real Madrid were not favourites to make it through to their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich when they were drawn with Manchester City. Yet former Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic feels that it was not as much of a shock as he thought.

Speaking in an interview with Diario AS, Rakitic was upbeat about former side Barcelona and the future of their young side, but warned them to take it one game at a time in Europe. On the other hand, he admitted it had been a ‘complicated couple of years’ at Sevilla, but said they had to trust the structure at the club.

When asked about Real Madrid’s progress against Pep Guardiola’s City, Rakitic said he always regarded Los Blancos as the favourites to go through.

“Surprising… yes and no. After they drew City, I said to watch out for Real Madrid. Many of my friends in Spain told me I was crying a little… (laughs). For me, Real Madrid was the favourite. Sure, if you look at the teams, City might seem superior. But for me, Real Madrid was the clear favourite. They have a very strong, very extensive history in the Champions League. In that sense, it doesn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was the result of the first leg. And in the second leg, especially with the sending-off, everything went their way, regardless of the fact that they were ahead in the tie.”

“Real Madrid were able to play against City the way they like, waiting for mistakes and playing on their opponent’s anxiety about the result, because those little details that don’t go your way can happen. We’ll see what happens now [against Bayern].”

Real Madrid’s European success easy to explain

More generally on Real Madrid’s talent for getting through ties in the Champions League, Rakitic was asked if their knack for coming out on the right side of them was ‘inexplicable’. The ex-Croatia midfielder was not buying the mythology of Real Madrid in the competition though.

“No, well, it’s not inexplicable. For me, it’s very easy to explain.  When you do things right, you get results. And Real Madrid is doing many things very well. I understand that there are many divided opinions about Arbeloa, about Real Madrid, about their style of play, and everything, but there it is. And it’s not a coincidence. Nobody goes to Real Madrid because they’ve been given things. When you do things right, football rewards you. And when you don’t do things right, football doesn’t reward you.”

‘I would have loved to see Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid longer’

The prediction for Real Madrid was for a successful season, but a large part of the thinking was that Xabi Alonso would be behind it. The Basque manager found himself packing his bags in January though.

“Yes, that really makes me sad. I would have loved to see Xabi stay at Real Madrid longer, especially in La Liga. It’s not about being a Barca, Real Madrid, or Sevilla fan anymore. It’s a real shame because, for me, he’s still one of the most important coaches in football history. I’m sure he’ll do well wherever he goes. I understand the pressure at big clubs; he did very well at Leverkusen and they gave him the Real Madrid job pretty quickly. I hope he comes back as soon as possible. I’d love to see and learn more from Xabi the coach.”

Los Blancos travel to face RCD Mallorca this weekend with significant absences, before preparing to host Bayern in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

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