The Evolution of Luka Modric

When Luka Modric agreed to join Spurs at the end of the 2007/2008 season, it was considered a massive coup. At the time he was rated among the best young players in the world, and he had a big future ahead of him. Many assumed he would join one of Europe’s elite clubs, but he was snapped up early, before the summer transfer window opened, and perhaps more importantly, before Euro 2008. The much maligned Damien Comolli has to take huge credit for the way this transfer was engineered.

Skip forward to 2010 and Tottenham are playing Champions League football for the first time, and Luka Modric is at the heart of it. There have been ups and downs along the way, and even broken legs, but in recent months Modric is possibly playing the best football of his career. One of the main reasons for this is his change of role. During his first 18 months or so at the club he mostly operated on the left of a midfield four. This afforded him more creative freedom, but meant that it was more difficult for him to influence the play. He has since moved into a central role, acting as a deep lying playmaker, allowing him to show for the ball all over the pitch and dictate his team’s passing rhythm.

Originally thought of as too slight to play in centre midfield (or even in English football altogether), he has become one of the top players in the country. He may be small, but he is deceptively strong, and he uses his body intelligently, rather than aggressively. There is a comparison to be made with the best centre midfielder around, Xavi Hernandez. Like the Spaniard, Modric is always fully aware of his surroundings, and protects the ball superbly. His ability to make space for himself is possibly without equal in the Premier League. By taking on more responsibility, he has allowed the flair players around him to take the plaudits. The chalkboard below shows his recent masterclass against Blackburn. Sixty completed passes and a pass completion rate of over 90%, covering almost the entire pitch. An impressive showing for someone who is always looking to be positive in possession.

by Guardian Chalkboards

Modric cannot take all of the credit of course, his partnership with Tom Huddlestone in the middle of the pitch has proved fundamental to Tottenham’s recent improvement. But due to injuries, the partnership has been too infrequent. However, the relatively small number of games that they have played together include impressive wins over the likes of Inter, Arsenal and Chelsea. It may prove that this is not a sustainable midfield two, and a more defensive minded player will have to be added. The introduction of Rafael van der Vaart is also proving a conundrum, but I’m sure that’s a problem that any team in the world would welcome.