The Croatian star is now one of the world’s top central midfielders, something he proved in Real Madrid’s win over Liverpool.
There were plenty of standout performers in Real Madrid’s 3-0 Champions League win over Liverpool on Wednesday. However, though ex Tottenham man Gareth Bale sat out the game with an injury, another former Spurs midfielder was hugely impressive.
The season before Bale moved to the Bernabeu for a world record fee, Modric had already headed to the Spanish capital for a £33 million fee, roughly double what Spurs paid for the midfielder in 2008.
A little like his first few months at White Hart Lane, Modric didn’t immediately find his form at Real, but the Croatian has since thoroughly converted La Liga fans, and played an integral role as Carlo Ancelotti’s side won the club’s tenth Champions League trophy.
Though Bale’s direct goal threat has obviously been a big miss for Spurs, it could easily be argued that a player of Modric’s class has been a big miss since he left the club.
Below we look at how Modric performed against Liverpool, compared to how Tottenham’s midfielders have fared in this season’s Premier League:
Luka Modric against Liverpool 22/10/14
| Team | Touches | Poss Won Mid 3rd | Fwd Pass | Dribble won | Duel Won | Interception Won | Passing Accuracy % | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Modric | Madrid | 108 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 93.68 | 90 |
Tottenham midfielders 2014/15
| Team | Touches / apps | Poss Won Mid 3rd / apps | Fwd Pass / apps | Dribble Won / apps | Duel Won / apps | Interception Won / apps | Passing Accuracy % | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etienne Capoue | Spurs | 81.13 | 3.63 | 17.63 | 0 | 4.63 | 3.13 | 88.68 | 676 |
| Christian Eriksen | Spurs | 68.75 | 3.13 | 15.63 | 1.63 | 4.13 | 0.75 | 83.29 | 649 |
| Erik Lamela | Spurs | 62.00 | 2.63 | 9.38 | 2.88 | 6.88 | 1.25 | 79.52 | 660 |
| Nabil Bentaleb | Spurs | 54.75 | 2.00 | 15.75 | 0 | 2.00 | 1.00 | 86.91 | 218 |
| Ryan Mason | Spurs | 54.67 | 1.67 | 17.33 | 0.33 | 5.00 | 2.00 | 75.83 | 250 |
| Nacer Chadli | Spurs | 44.86 | 2.00 | 4.86 | 1.00 | 3.57 | 1.00 | 84.98 | 550 |
| Mousa Dembélé | Spurs | 42.50 | 2.67 | 7.00 | 2.17 | 4.83 | 0.33 | 89.27 | 251 |
The one area Modric has always been impressive in is his passing accuracy, and involvement on the game through getting on the ball and beginning attacking moves. Against Liverpool, the 29-year-old registered massive statistics with his 108 touches, more than any other Real player, 94% pass accuracy and an impressive 24 passes forward.
All of these areas would put him way ahead of Tottenham’s existing midfielders, but it Modric’s ability to play forward balls that can threaten the opposition that the North Londoners have really missed, the so-called pass before the assist. That the former Croatia Zagreb man has added solid defensive stats to his game despite his slight frame has merely made him that much more of a complete midfielder man.
The hunt remains on for Spurs to find a similar midfield playmaker, either within the club or outside of it.
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