Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic doesn't care where he plays, as long as he is playing

Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has said he doesn’t care where manager Luis Enrique chooses to play him, so long as the Croatian is playing in every match.

Rakitic joined the Catalan club from Sevilla last summer and has performed well in his first season with La Blaugrana. The 26-year-old midfielder is recognized for his versatility and superior technical ability in the center of the pitch.

The Croatia international is a complete midfielder. In the past, Rakitic has been deployed as a left-side defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, or as a number 10, by his club and country.

This season, the Croatian has been asked to play a more central role for Barcelona, with fans questioning whether or not Rakitic was being utilized properly in that area of the pitch.

However, the midfielder has stated he doesn’t care where he is deployed by Luis Enrique, so long as he plays in every match.

“I see myself playing in every game,” Rakitic said. “I’ve played there before, for Croatia and Sevilla. What I want is to play in every game. Helping the team is what’s important.”

Barcelona recently overcame a four-point deficit on the La Liga table and leapfrogged Real Madrid into first place. Despite the excitement around the Camp Nou, Rakitic understands he and his Barcelona teammates have a tough stretch of games ahead of them, and the season is far from over.

“It’s a long season, with lots of ups and downs,” Rakitic concluded. “We have to take full advantage of every chance we get because we have some tough games ahead and have to win those.

“We’re working hard on every detail, because we know that the hardest part is yet to come.”

Programming note: Eibar vs. Barcelona will be shown LIVE on Saturday starting at 1:00pm EST on beIN SPORTS and DishWorld.