Rakitic concentrating on Barcelona, not rivals

The Croatia international opened his Barcelona account in the 5-0 victory over 10-man Levante - who had defender Loukas Vyntra sent off after 41 minutes - a win that maintained their 100 per cent record in La Liga.

It took the Catalan club 34 minutes to break the deadlock on Sunday but they emphatically secured victory, with Rakitic striking a stunning second just before the break.

Meanwhile, rivals Real and Atletico Madrid have both dropped points in the opening four games but Rakitic insists Barca must remain focused on their own game rather than how other teams are playing.

"The results that the other teams get don't matter much to us," he told the club's official website. "We just have to work hard and we're right on track, although there is still a lot to do.

"We all knew that it is a difficult ground to come to but after the sending off and our goal, it was much easier. 

"We could relax a bit and govern the game the way we like to. It was an important step forward but we'll need to keep fighting."

Rakitic moved to the Camp Nou from Sevilla during the close-season and has featured in all four league matches.