GdS: Not just leadership as Modric leads the way with quality and quantity

Luka Modric will be back from start against Torino on Monday evening, and as highlighted by a report this morning, that could make all the difference for AC Milan. 

After 13 consecutive positive results, Milan were defeated in the Coppa Italia Round of 16 against Lazio. It was a bitter defeat especially for Massimiliano Allegri, who had set his eyes on lifting the trophy at the Olimpico once again.

As highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport this morning (see photo at the bottom), without Modric, the Rossoneri surrendered far too easily. The Croatian’s cameo off the bench wasn’t enough to turn things around either.

Needed, though frustrating, rest

To say that Luka Modric makes all the difference in the world, even at 40, is a bit like discovering the obvious. First and foremost, he makes a difference with his leadership and experience, even before purely technical or tactical issues.

Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images

Against Lazio, however, Allegri was forced to give him some rest after nine consecutive 90-minute matches. Towards the end of the league win against Lazio, when Modric made a mistake, the manager even said “he’s tired”, as picked up by the cameras.

Fielding him in the Coppa Italia, as such, would have been too much and Allegri also had Ardon Jashari to test in that position. The Swiss international wasn’t terrible by any means, but Luka is a different beast, and no one in the Milan squad can replace him.

Not just leadership…

The numbers speak for themselves. Modric is the No.1 when it comes to touches, successful passes, key passes, interceptions, and recoveries. Both quality and quantity, as such, so everything goes beyond the aforementioned leadership.

Modric is the man who orchestrates Milan’s play, putting himself in a position to receive and initiate moves, but he’s also the first to break down the opponent’s attacks. Again, while some view him simply as a deep-lying playmaker, he’s more than that.

Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images

If there’s a need to defend, Modric defends as well as, if not more than, some of his teammates. He also used smart movement rather than tireless movement: the data on interceptions and recovered balls are indicative of his ability to read the game.

Crucial teammate

Obviously, the veteran’s hard work has also inspired his teammates. Modric knows how to win and is contagious. With him on the pitch from the start, Milan have only lost one game, and that was in their first Serie A match against Cremonese.

However, Adrien Rabiot, another key player in Milan’s league-leading squad alongside Napoli, hadn’t yet arrived at that point. With both Modric and the Frenchman starting, the Rossoneri have never lost, collecting five wins and a draw, conceding only one goal (a penalty against Napoli).

In Turin, on Monday evening, the two will be back together straight away. It remains to be seen if they can break the negative spell against Torino…