Luka Modric is one of the most crucial players for Real Madrid. At the age of 36, he’s still going strong and has shown from time to time that he has what it takes to compete at the top level even if his age indicates otherwise.
Even though he’s freakishly athletic for his age, he did get injured before the game against Levante, and hasn’t played for the team since.
All that is supposed to change soon, because it seems like Luka Modric is back and ready to go once again.
Luka Modric trained normally with the rest of Real Madrid’s players on Thursday
I don’t know if struggle is the right word because Real managed to win a game and draw the other during the time Modric was out, but to be honest, they did struggle a little. They scored four goals and conceded three, but Luka’s magic, press resistance, defensive contribution and a whole lot of other Luka stuff was missing. Isco had a pretty good game against Levante, but didn’t do as good against a great Betis side.
But we know he’s not Modric, and there are some things that Isco simply can’t provide, such as consistency in the defense and command and leadership when progressing the ball from the midfield to the final third. Modric does that well, which is why he was so dearly missed.
But, it looks like a return is on the cards. It remains to be seen whether Carlo Ancelotti will play Modric this weekend against Celta, or if he’d ease him into the team, considering his age and Real Madrid’s midweek Champions League clash against Inter at the San Siro stadium.
With the signing of Eduardo Camavinga, Real are planning for the future which may allow Modric to take a backseat against comparatively weaker opponents, and let the Frenchman do the talking on the pitch. I don’t know if it happens this weekend, since Camavinga only had his first training session today, but that’s definitely an option to look at in case this situation arises once again.
All in all, Luka’s return is a great thing. Both of Real Madrid’s starting midfielders have been out, and welcoming one of them back must be refreshing.