Chelsea’s determined pursuit of Luka Modric took another twist a couple of days back with the Croatian handing in a transfer request while on tour with Tottenham. Having been knocked back with £22m and £27m bids, it’s unlikely Roman Abramovich will be deterred as he looks to splash the cash on behalf of new Blues boss Andres Villas-Boas. Despite Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s refusal to contemplate a sale, Modric’s request may prove pivotal in bringing one of the summer’s long-running transfer sagas to an end.
When Modric joined Spurs back in 2008, there was plenty Premier League interest in the midfielder but, while there were no doubts over his ability on the ball, questions marks were raised over whether his slight build would enable him to adapt to the physical nature of the British game. Three seasons into his career in England and Modric impresses more by the year, with his role as a deep-lying playmaker in the centre of midfield firmly established under Harry Redknapp.
Modric’s talents bring a different interpretation to the role than most and with a combination of trickery, graft and passing precision; it’s not difficult to see just why he’s so much in demand. We analyse the ten highest rated central midfield players in WhoScored.com’s Premier League rankings to highlight just what makes Modric such a special player.
Passing Stats
With 62.5 passes per game, Modric is at the hub of Spurs’ game. While teammate Rafael Van der Vaart may play a greater part in Tottenham’s goals, Modric is the man that makes the side tick. Only Cesc Fabregas (63.9) made more passes per game and with Steven Gerrard (59.8) on a similar level, Modric’s importance to his team when in possession is as crucial as the Arsenal and Liverpool captains.
Modric’s 87% pass accuracy is the joint-highest of the top ten, equalled only by Mikel Arteta, though Arteta made almost 12 passes per game less, an indication of Modric’s tidiness in possession. Of the ten, only Charlie Adam played more long balls, with 7.5 per game, though his pass accuracy is significantly lower, just 72%. Given his pass accuracy, Modric -matching Gerrard with 5.6 long balls here- has the ability to vary distribution with no drop in precision.
When it comes to key passes, Modric’s 2.1 per game is particularly impressive when taking into consideration his lack of set-piece duties in comparison to others here. Modric is on a par with Adam; despite the latter’s more spectacular passing catching the eye, Modric’s creative contribution is, nevertheless, equal. With Van der Vaart, playing further ahead, making 2.4 key passes per game, Tottenham’s ability to open up defences from central areas is a key aspect of their game.
Modric fared poorly here for assists- just 2 for the season, despite his 2.1 key passes. Some of this can be attributed to the form of Spurs’ misfiring strikers- Roman Pavlyuchenko, Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe played a total of 85 games between them and scored only 17 times.
Defensive Stats
Modric not only impressed in possession, his defensive work is surprisingly good, given the fact he’s not the dynamic ball-winner so synonymous with England’s top-flight. While his average of 1.9 tackles is still impressive, it’s greater than only Fabregas and Hitzlsperger here. He makes it up in interceptions, however, with 2.5 almost identical to the 2.6 of Stuart Holden, Scott Parker and Alex Song. Given that he’s on a level with far more physically imposing players makes Modric’s stats all the more impressive here.
For tackles and interceptions per match combined, Modric (4.4) comes in fifth, behind Holden (7.1), Parker (6.4), Song (5.9) and Gerrard (4.6). With 0.5 fouls per game, he made far less fouls than those four, with Song particularly guilty, on 2.2 per game. His foul count is considerably lower than all but one player here, Frank Lampard (0.4), showing his ability to break up opponent’s play without falling guilty of the referee.
Dribbling and Shooting Stats
Modric’s dribbling and ability to beat a man from deep is what really brings his stamp of individuality to the role. Aside from the Croatian, only Adam (1.7) and, surprisingly, Song (1.1) manage more than 1 successful dribble per game of our top ten Premier League central midfielders.
While the stats of Lampard (0.3), Gerrard (0.8) and Fabregas (1) are surprisingly low given their ability, Modric, with 2.2 successful dribbles per game, makes more than the three of them combined. His dribbling stats are more in line with a successful winger rather than someone playing in the far more congested environment of central midfield and highlights just how crucial his game is to Tottenham’s style of play.
Modric is never going to offer the same sort of goal threat as the likes of Lampard (2.3 shots per game) or Fabregas (2); his game is not based on his goal threat. Nevertheless, his ability to get forward and threaten the opposition is emphasised by 1.2 shots per game, more than reasonable for a deep-lying midfielder.
This makes him sixth best of our featured players for shots, with the likes of Song (0.5) and Arteta (0.8) more in line with their less-attacking roles. As a result, Modric grabbed only 3 goals for Spurs last season but as mentioned, his purpose within the make-up of Redknapp’s first XI is not about that. There’s little doubt, however, that Modric’s game excels in so many other ways.
