Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after 2-0 win over Alaves

Real Madrid took down Deportivo Alaves at home, maintaining their four-point lead over Barcelona in La Liga.

Whereas Real Madrid struggled to 1-0 wins in their previous three matches against Espanyol, Getafe, and Athletic Bilbao, Los Blancos put together a much more comprehensive victory on Friday night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano vs. Deportivo Alaves.

Here are five burning questions after the 2-0 victory as the Whites prepare for their final three fixtures of the season.

1. Is Luka Modric the most underappreciated?

Luka Modric is quietly having another strong season for Real Madrid, bouncing back from a poor 2018-2019 campaign after which many openly wondered if he would still be able to play at a high level.

The Croatian legend has turned aside all those concerns, and he’s saving some of his best performances for last, so to speak. Modric was one of the standout performers against Bilbao, and then he put on another midfield clinic in the win over Alaves.

He was all over the pitch, recovering the ball from deep and carrying it into the opposition’s half to start attacks. Modric didn’t have a big day on the stat sheet, but he was clearly making a difference.

Per WhoScored.com, he completed 92 percent of his passes, including eight of eight accurate long balls. He won two tackles, two fouls, and four completed dribbles. It was a vintage, all-action performance from the veteran center midfielder, and as weird as this is to say of a former Ballon d’Or winner, he just might be the most underappreciated player on the team right now.