The Rise of The Mod- A Luka Love-In

‘’ Tottenham Hotspur plc is pleased to announce that agreement has been reached with Dinamo Zagreb and the Croatian international midfielder, Luka Modric, age 22 years, for the transfer of his registration to Tottenham Hotspur FC for a total consideration of Euro21 million payable in installments over the next four years.’’

I remember clearly that message popping through on my phone on Saturday 26^thApril 2008. I read it through bleary eyes, hungover after a mates wedding and the news was just what I wanted to hear. He’d recently starred for Croatia in the demolition of Ingerland at wemberlee, the wolly with the brolly etc, and our Totters were high off the back of a Carling Cup win, with a successful 08/09 season in prospect with Ramos at the helm.

We all know what happened next and Luka found himself under the guidance of our ‘arry. His mentor, Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, having played under Harry himself at the Spammers, simply said ‘All the best!’

‘’But then he said Harry would look after me, teach me the right things and get me to the right place. Slaven is quite similar to Harry because they both have the ability to get the best out of players.’’

On the playing front, it was a rough ride for Luka. Assuming we’d signed an attacking string puller as shown in his performances for the national side, he was originally deployed alongside Jenas in a 4 man midfield, often meaning he would drop deep and his threat was nullified. Speaking only a couple of weeks after his arrival at the club, Harry immediately saw where Luka needed to be playing.

‘’…between (the oppositions) defence and midfield. That is where he's at his best - you can't put him in a 4-4-2 as it's difficult for him to play as one of two central midfielders, he's got to play further forward.’’

It was a hint at Redknapps reluctance to play Modric in the middle, and as the season evolved, he was shunted out to the left with Jenas/Huddlestone and Zokora/Palacios being the preferred options in the middle. Harry knew he was a ‘special talent’, but didn’t know what to do with him, so the left side of our 4-man midfield was the only position where he felt he could be utilised. While shining in the odd game and being steady in others, Spurs fans couldn’t help but feel he was playing within himself, the Carling Cup final defeat to Manchester United being a case in point. In hindsight, he probably felt shackled himself and was desperate to be given the chance in his preferred position.

"I know I am strong enough to do well and I will prove that in the coming matches. That's my aim."

After dominating the midfield and scoring in our 1-0 win over Chelski towards the end of the 08/09 season, there were great hopes for him in Redknapp’s first full season in charge, but only a few games in, at home to Birmingham, Luka suffered a broken leg. It was at the lower end of the ‘serious broken leg’ charts, but it was enough to keep him out for several months. On his return, the close control, and the most incredible balance I’ve had the pleasure of seeing at close quarters were still there, but he also appeared stronger, both physically and in his focus. Far from just riding out his injury in front of a playstation, Luka hit the gym, determined to show he could play the central role.

Another young starlet by the name of Gareth Bale had grabbed his chance in the first team with both hands and usurped Luka’s niche on the left wing, but it wasn’t long before he had the chance to shine once again in the middle of the park. Wilson Palacios’s suspension meant Harry had his hand forced in playing a midfield 4 of Bale, Modric, Huddlestone and Lennon for 2 huge home games, firstly against the Woolwich Wanderers and then Chelski. Modric and Huddlestone were magnificent in both eventual victories, and such was their success that even though Palacios was available for the big showdown away to Manchester City, the same midfield 4 were chosen to start the game. Modric had proved what he himself knew all along.

"I have been brought up to be a modest person, not to show off, and to appreciate the things I achieve. But I believe in myself, which I think is important in life in general, not just in sport."

For those of us who’ve read about Luka’s early career, to say he was too lightweight to play in the middle was to do him a great disservice and an over-simplification of his attempts to adapt to a new way of playing. As an 18 year old on loan at Zrinjski Mostar, playing in central midfield in the ‘industrial’ Bosnian League, he emerged as the Leagues player of the season, saying "someone who can play in the Bosnian league can play anywhere", referring to its physicality. However, he readily admitted that it was more to do with the combined pace and pressure of opposition players in the Premier League that he needed to adjust to.

‘’What I noticed the most was the strength and speed. The lack of space as well. I was used to getting a lot of space in Croatia and that makes a hell of a difference. But I am getting used to it now. When that happens I will be OK."

And more than OK he is now. The congestion in the middle of the park was a dominant feature of Sunday’s game against Manchester United, and Harry, always full of praise for our little magician, commented:

"There was talk about a lack of space and time out there but he kept finding it. His touch and awareness is fantastic. He could play in any team in the world."

While casual observers rightly site this seasons contributions of Bale and the impact of Van der Vaart as a huge influence on our current position, the performances of Modric, while far subtler, have arguably been more telling. The introduction of Van der Vaart to our squad has given Harry the flexibility to use the 4-5-1 formation favored by many of the European elite and deploying Luka in a similar role where he shone for Croatia, and it’s beginning to pay dividends. Those who saw his ‘grabbing-the-game-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck’ performance when we were a goal down at home to Liverpool, will testify to seeing a new dimension in Luka’s game as a potential match winner in his own right.

The next step for our Modders is to add goals to his game. 7 in 75 league games for us shows there is still work to be done on that front, but as I’ve said before, if he can do it, we’ll have the EPL version of Iniesta on our hands.

Perhaps even more impressive is Luka’s maturity and loyalty in the face of such admiration. He has constantly batted away talk of transfers to many of Europe’s top clubs (and Chelski), and knowing that we have him secured to a six-year contract certainly puts us Totters at ease.

"Me going to Barcelona? Yes, I really hope that, but only as a Tottenham player in the next round of the Champions League’’

With the backdrop of the Croatian War of Independence, Luka’s childhood perhaps puts him in a better position than many of his counterparts to appreciate where he is now. It’s not just his game, but his whole outlook on life that is well-rounded. 

"The most important thing is for me and my family to be healthy".

Perhaps my favourite Luka quote though is this one from November 2010.

"I can make my football dreams come true with Tottenham, and that is why all my thoughts and also my future is with this club."

Luka, we salute you!