Is it time for Luka Modric to shine?

By: Rob | October 30th, 2008

I remember back in the summer, when Spurs announced they were signing this silky Croat, called Luka Modric. Didn’t know too much about him then, except obviously I recall him pulling the strings in a Croat midfield that knocked England out of Euro 2008 qualifying, and he had been compared with the greatest player of all time (you can keep Maradona or Pelé) Johan Cruyff.

So I was excited. Not as excited as when I saw him at the Euro’s and he was, in my view, fantastic. Controlled the game, intellegently found space, great vision, wonderful passer of the ball, and so on.

Just like the rest of Spurs team though, he’s been rubbish this season. At least, untill the last couple of games. He picked up numourous Man-of-the-Match awards for the game on Sunday, and was the controlling player in the Spurs midfield last night. He probably needs a defensive midfielder behind him (Just like Fábregas needs Flamini – he’s been so much poorer this season without him) but if he’s given that, in his new position, pushed up behind the striker (Trequartista, i belive the Italians call it), he can surely be the player that turns Tottenhams season around.

Its funny that this turnaround is noted right after a game against Arsenal. Arséne Wenger, usually a supreme judge of young players, described Modric as “too lightweight” to make it in the Prem. Perhaps, further back in midfield this is true – all season he has been bearing out Wengers words, but in his new position, he’s already begining to flourish.

The whisper is that Juve want him, but I don’t see this happening. I see Harry building his Spurs side around Modric, and I think that maybe if Juve did want him, they’ve left announcing their interest just a few weeks too late.

So Harry Redknapp has already got something right. This Spurs side desperately needs someone for the side to be built around. It is in that sense that they are missing Dietmar Berbatov, and I fear Juande Ramos’ fatal error was that he didn’t realise this. Sure, he blamed Berba and Keane’s absence for the slide down the table – but I think he was thinking that it was goals Spurs were missing. Partly it is. But partly the side looks lost without an inspirational figure – just like Chelsea have Lampard, Liverpool have Gerrard, and United have Ronaldo, it seems in the Prem you need the presence of that player to do something special to build the side around. Spurs might have that now.

Harry of course loves having players in that position. Paul Merson, Eyal Berkovic, and Modric’s fellow Croat Robert Prosinecki(a legend at Pompy) have all found their best form under Redknapp’s watch. Frank Lampard too, made his name in ‘Arry’s West Ham side, before he got his big move to Chelsea.

So is it time for Modric to shine? I can only think that it will be. Its time to be excited all over again.

Note: at 1minute 8, he also has Robbie Keane’s celebration!