Ivan Rakitic has admitted that he still has a lot of improving to do in the Barcelona midfield if he wants to be considered a success at Camp Nou.
There were suggestions that the Croatian midfielder had been left frustrated by Luis Enrique's decision to name him as a substitute in last month's meeting with fierce rivals Real Madrid, but the former Sevilla star insists that his relationship with the Barcelona head coach is good.
"I respected the boss's decision to leave me out, and to me it doesn't hurt more not to play at the Santiago Bernabeu than it does not to play against Rayo [Vallencao] or leave me in the stands at Eibar," Rakitic told reporters.
"I'm happy with what I'm doing but I know I'm not 100 per cent and there are still things I need to improve upon.
"The style here is different to Sevilla. If I played in the same position it would still be different because Barca's style is unique."
Barcelona meet Rakitic's former club Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday evening.
Callum Mulvihill
