PL Footballing Genius: Luka Modric
Many eyebrows were raised when Tottenham Hotspur splashed the cash in the summer of 2008, bringing the highly rated Croatian Luka Modric to White Hart Lane. Chairman Daniel Levy had to dig deep to supply the £16.5 million needed to prise Modric away from Dinamo Zagreb and the midfielder became one of several high profile signings in the Juande Ramos era. Tottenham have been guilty in the past of paying over the odds for mediocre players and after Modric began slowly in the Premier League, some believed that Spurs had once again overspent on the Croat. This however, could not be further from the truth.
Like many foreigners entering the Premier League, it took Modric a while to adapt to the rigours of the English game and he fell victim to a Juande Ramos squad that was massively underperforming. Ramos initially deployed Modric in a deep-lying defensive role and largely wasted the talents of the Croatian international. Modric was unable to embrace the attacking side of his game and was therefore also unable to stamp his authority on the game.
However, despite only standing at 5ft 8½ in, Modric quickly overcame the physical aspects of the league and it was with the arrival of Harry Redknapp that the Croatian midfielder really began to prove his worth. Redknapp arrived at the lane and instantly recognised the genius of Modric. Redknapp said of the former Dinamo Zagreb man:
“He could play for anyone. He’s a fantastic footballer with a great brain. I said Lassana Diarra could play for any team in the world after two weeks at Portsmouth and he ended up at Real Madrid. This kid`s the same.”
One of the first things that the ex-Portsmouth boss did when he arrived in north London was change the role in which Modric operated. He deployed the midfielder in a far more advanced position on both the left and centre of midfield, a previous problem position for the club. Redknapp made Modric the focal point of the side and the Croatian was able to exploit the creative aspect of the game that comes so naturally to him. His form began to improve and with it so did Tottenham’s league position. He became a key figure in the turning the season from a relegation battle into a charge for Europe.
Modric started this season in similar form as Spurs recorded wins in each of their first 4 league games. However, the midfielder suffered a fracture to his fibula in the game against Birmingham and consequently endured a four month spell on the sidelines. Although Spurs continued in their rich run of form, the side noticeably missed the influence of one of the league’s most creative players and Spurs fan’s were eagerly awaiting the Croatian’s return. Modric underlined his worth when he eventually recovered from injury, scoring eleven minutes into his Premier League return inspiring a 2-0 home victory over West Ham.
The £16.5 million signing has become a fan favourite at White Hart Line and as time goes by, is only continuing to justify the hefty transfer fee. Modric has proved one of the most skilful and technical players in the league and the genius of the midfielder can be summarised by the words of Jamie Redknapp, who said:
“He’s a hell of a player and a manager’s dream. He trains like a demon and never complains, will work with and without the ball on the field and can beat a defender with a trick or with a pass. He could get into any team in the top four.”
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Modric’s ability to find space is one of the reason’s why he such a good player. Should have some great years ahead of him.