For many, Real Madrid was not the favorite to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League against Bayern Munich when they were drawn against Manchester City. However, former Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic feels that it was not as scary as he thought.
Speaking in an interview with Diario AS, Rakitic was excited about former club Barcelona and the future of their young squad, but warned them to take it one game at a time in Europe. On the other hand, he admitted that it has been a ‘difficult few years’ at Sevilla, but said that they should trust the structure of the club.
When asked about the progress of Real Madrid compared to Pep Guardiola’s City, Rakitic said that he always considered Los Blancos as favorites to overcome.
“It’s surprising… yes and no. After City drew, I noticed Real Madrid. Many of my friends in Spain told me that I was crying a little… (laughs). For me, Real Madrid was the favorite. Of course, if you look at the teams, City might seem the best. But for me, Real Madrid was the clear favorite. They have a very strong record in that competition, the Champions League. I’m very surprised. what surprised me was the result of the first leg and in the leg the second one, especially with the red card, everything went in the right direction, 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 with their opponents’ 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 is easy to explain
Typical of Real Madrid’s talent for winning in the Champions League, Rakitic was asked if their ability to come out on the right was ‘inexplicable’. The former Croatian midfielder was not buying the Real Madrid legend in the competition.
“No, well, it’s not mysterious. For me, it’s very easy to explain. If you do things the right way, you get results. And Real Madrid does a lot of things very well. I understand that there are many different opinions about Arbeloa, about Real Madrid, about their style of play, and everything, but there is. And it’s not a coincidence. don’t do things the right way, football doesn’t pay off.”
‘I would have liked to see Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid for a long time’
Real Madrid’s predictions were for a successful season, but a big part of the thinking was that Xabi Alonso would be behind it. The Basque boss found himself packing his bags in January.
“Yes, that makes me very sad. I would like to see Xabi stay for a long time in Real Madrid, especially in La Liga. No more being a fan of Barca, Real Madrid, or Sevilla. It’s really a shame because, for me, he is still one of the most important coaches in the history of football. I’m sure he will do well wherever he goes. I understand that Lekusen gave him a lot of pressure in the Real Madrid club. I hope he will come back as soon as possible and I would like to see and learn more to Xabi the coach.
Los Blancos face RCD Mallorca this weekend in a big absence, before preparing to host Bayern in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.
