Ivan Rakitic has claimed that Barcelona have coped with Neymar's departure through "collective work" and stated that "sometimes the best players in the world don't make the best team".
The Brazil international departed Camp Nou in the summer for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record £200m move which many believed would have left Barca weakened.
However, the Blaugrana sit comfortably top of the La Liga table having gone 15 games unbeaten, and are also in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
"[Neymar] is one of the best players in the world, but sometimes the best players in the world don't make the best team," Rakitic told Sportske Novosti.
"We have overcome his departure with collective work. We have worked as hard as possible and have been able to win."
Neymar made 186 appearances for Barcelona during a four-year spell in Catalonia, scoring 105 goals and registering 80 assists.
Written by
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte
