Luka Modric might be playing very well this year, but if you cast your minds back to 2008, you might remember that Modric did not have the best of starts at White Hart Lane. In his first season at the club Tottenham won just two points from eight games. When Ramos signed the Croatian, there had been questions over how effective Modric would be in the Premier League due to his size. Luka Modric started his Tottenham career playing in the centre of Ramos’s midfield and there was no doubt about it; he looked lightweight.
The first rise of Luka Modric came when Harry Redknapp took over and moved him to the left wing. In this more attacking position his form improved and so did Tottenham’s. I remember at the time, Redknapp received a lot of praise for getting the best out of Modric. But it seems that even then, Modric’s best was still to come.
This season has seen the second rise of Luka Modric, as he returned to the middle of the midfield as a ‘deep lying play-maker’. In the second half of last season, Modric’s place on the left wing came under threat. Gareth Bale’s rapid improvement meant that he had to play on the wide left. But Redknapp was determined to fit Modric into the formation somewhere.
A benefit of Bale and Lennon is that they stretch defenders which allows room for van der Vaart, but it also exposes Tottenham to the counter attack. These days, Tottenham need two central midfielders to sit a bit deeper to offer balance to the attacking wingers. It was a stroke of genius to choose Modric as one of these deep sitting midfielders.
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Modric may have been a revelation to Tottenham back in 2009 on the left wing, but he is even more effective in his current position. When he was higher up the pitch he was marked more tightly and saw less of the ball. The benefit of him playing deeper is that he sees the ball more often, when he is on the ball Tottenham look in control. Modric might not posses the range of passing of a Huddlestone or a Gerrard, but his choice of pass is excellent. He rarely loses the ball because his touch is so good, and he has the ability to find space in even the most congested areas of midfield. These attributes, combined with his awareness and composure, make him an excellent choice for a central midfielder.
Oddly enough, I don’t think Ramos played him out of position back in 2008, he just paired him with the wrong type of player. In his first spell in central midfield, Modric played mainly with Jermaine Jenas. Jenas is an attacking-minded midfielder who likes to get forward. That did not benefit Modric who had to do more defending than he ideally would. However, this season, he has played alongside Huddlestone, Palacios and most recently Sandro. They all sit much deeper than Jenas did and look after Modric a bit more, allowing him to play in a more creative role.
With the way Tottenham play, which sometimes verges on cavalier, occasionally they need someone to slow the tempo down and just keep possession for a while. Modric does this perfectly. Maybe I am being a bit sentimental now, but I cannot think of any player in the Premier League who would do a better job for Tottenham than Luka Modric. If you can think of someone, your suggestions are welcome…
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