Real Madrid: 5 most important players vs. PSG in the first leg of the Round of 16
By Eesh Jhamb
CM Luka Modric
Yet another important player for Real Madrid, and it is none other than Luka Modric. There is no surprise that Luka Modric is a big game player, and he has proved himself in numerous games.
The Croatian has had a few poor games this season, but they have always come around when his body shows signs of fatigue. Carlo Ancelotti has finally considered his age and that is why we saw the Italian benching Modric in the Villarreal game.
Luka Modric is a maestro and a magician. Despite the age of 36, someone unfamiliar with the Croatian magician could mistakenly assume him to be a 24-year-old. He has often outrun many young promising midfielders and has shown his quality against top teams.
When Luka Modric starts alongside Casemiro and Toni Kroos, we have seen them play so smoothly and have often had the opposition shaking their legs and many players making a fool of themselves. It is pretty easily observed that one gets to see the best version of Luka Modric when the KCM plays together and the same will be against PSG too.
Luka provides Real Madrid with the energy to transition from defence to attack, and his run in the Granada game kept many fans wondering how the Croatian pulled that off. He will be crucial in the PSG fixture and will be interesting to see the battle of Marco Veratti and Luka Modric (the battle of energy).
Other than that, we will get to witness many trickeries of the 36-year-old and how he helps Real Madrid in escaping the high press and swiftly turning the defence into a counter-attack.
Real Madrid’s right wing has been a serious issue this season, and I think Luka Modric can play a very big role in energizing the right flank to help Los Blancos have a balanced attack.
Being a balancer in defence and attack, Luka Modric will have a major responsibility of pressurizing Kylian Mbappe as much as he can and not letting PSG’s midfield control the game. His energy will be key in helping Real Madrid press whenever they can.