Modric to Madrid

When Tottenham Hotspur bought a little known Croatian by the name of Luka Modric in 2008 for a club record tying (with Darren Bent) £16.5 million, there weren't any great expectations. Partly due to his previous club being Dinamo Zagreb and also due to his apparent 'unsuitability' to the physicality of the English game. Juande Ramos had inherited a good squad from Martin Jol but Modric's acquisition made it far better.

Initially, Modric found a role as the deep lying playmaker sitting alongside Jermaine Jenas in the holding role. Modric had however made his name as a left sided midfielder or an attacking midfieder. He sustained a few injuries and was derided by the British press.



Harry Redknapp came in and despite his limited tactical acumen, saw this. He deployed Modric on the left wing or as a central midfielder and even a second striker at times as evidenced by the Arsenal 4: Spurs 4 game. Redknapp's team was built around Modric as promising talents such as David Bentley failed to impose themselves. Modric could be seen as arguably the finest all around playmaker the Premier League has had in the recent past, with his consistency, mobility, versatility and the tendency to chip in with important goals. He nearly moved to Chelsea the previous season, but Dan Levy's hardline negotiating scuppered any chances of a move.

But it was a question of sooner rather than later, as this season Chelsea opted for younger talents in Oscar and Hazard, but Modric was snapped up by Real Madrid.

Why Real wanted him:

Real already have a squad bursting in quality and depth. The previous season's Modric- like signing was Nuri Sahin who found his playing time severely limited by the holding duo of Khedira and Alonso.  Other benchwarmers included Kaka, Esteban Granero (off to QPR) and Hamit Altintop (off to his native Turkey).

How could Modric then force his way into the first team ??

It is surely implied by his £33m price tag that Real paid amidst crippling debt, that Jose Mourinho sees him as an important member of his plans and not just a addition to depth. Modric's best position is a topic of much debate, but his class on the ball, work rate and mobility are all factors that combined can let him replace any of Real's midfielders. He can play on the left wing, as a No 8 in a midfield three, behind the striker and as a defensive midfielder or as they call it, a deep lying playmaker.

We'll take all his possible positions and analyse what it may mean for his teammates:

1. In the Hole/ behind the striker:

Ozil may have been quite the assists machine, but there are certain factors that may work against him. His fatigue problems (he is generally the firsst sub that Mourinho makes), his streaky nature and not being a goalscorer would all count against him. Whereas, Modric is, rarely if ever inconsistent, has loads of stamina from Redknapp's intense 4-3-3 and can be counted upon to convert a chance.


2. On the left wing:

This is highly unlikely, as Ronaldo owns the left wing. However, he could be deployed as a left sided midfielder who could run into the space Ronaldo creates when he cuts in from the flank. Also, this could provide much needed creative help as was seen last season when Angel Di Maria started shouldering more of the assists burden to help Ozil out.

3. Defensive Midfielder/ Double Pivot/ Deep Lying Playmaker:

Madrid's 4-2-3-1 features two defensive midfielders, a combative one in Khedira and a passer in Xabi Alonso. However, in La Liga there is hardly any team that plays aggressively against Madrid and it could be argue that two midfielders for screening are really not required in the majority of Real's season. Modric vould replace either Khedira on the basis of technical and playmaking ability and Alonso, on the basis of his mobility. Modric deep would provide a vastly fluid midfield rather than the static one that Madrid have been resembling of late.

First Impressions:

Modric started the game against Granada the previous week in Ozil's position and gave a brilliant display and was at the heart of everything Madrid did well. He dropped deep to link play up and also moved out wide on occasion. With him on the pitch there seemed to be a considerable increase in fluidity and energy of the midfield rather than Ozil's passive approach.

Mourinho hinted so much in his post match comments when he praised Modric generously and on the basis of this game, one would think Modric will be playing the same role he does for the Croatian team and will provide competition to Kaka and Ozil.

Conclusion:

In theory, Luka Modric is a brilliant signing who can play anywhere in midfield and thus provides Mourinho with three more options of very high quality.

One wonders if Real were watching the Euros very closely. In the game against Spain (with the entire Barca midfield), it was the little Croatian who dictated terms from an advanced position and if only his teammates had done better, Croatia could have gone through.Mourinho knows his legacy will be dictated by how he does against Barcelona and he has taken a very significant step in this regard. Also, the criticism faced by Mourinho over his sides preferring to counter rather than play possession football will be gone if Modric entrenches himself in the starting 11.