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Why Luka Modric is the standout choice for Player of the Year
By Steve Stammers
Published 08:01 13/04/11
It has been a strange season in the Premier League, no question. And the
evidence is there when the debate concerns the Footballer of the Year.
As a rule, one or two outstanding individuals have emerged by the middle of April. Not this time around.
The names come thick and fast at every club: Ashley Cole at Chelsea;
Edwin van der Sar at Manchester United; Samir Nasri and Jack Wilshere at
Arsenal; Carlos Tevez at Manchester City; Scott Parker at West Ham. A
case can be made for so many.
But for me the outstanding candidate is Luka Modric. There were fears
for the Croatian when he first came to the demanding Premier League back
in 2008 from Dinamo Zagreb. "Too small, " they said. "He won't
survive." Those who offered that opinion were clearly unaware of
Modric's pedigree.
"You know, " he said before he joined Tottenham, " I used to play in
Bosnia. The pitches there were not so good. And the opponents were very
tough. I am optimistic I will be able to cope." Something of an
under-statement, that. Modric plays in the area of the field where it is
unforgiving and the physical abuse is unrelenting.
And yet his diminutive frame always emerges from the high-tempo tussles
still in possession of the ball. Brave and courageous in possession.
Imaginative and astute with his distribution. And he weighs in with his
share of goals. He is always ready to receive the ball and never hides.
Against Stoke last Saturday he was little short of magnificent. Stoke
are anything but a soft touch - not as over-nasty as some would suggest
but few of their players duck out of a challenge. Modric ruled supreme.
You can kick him but you can't intimidate him.
He shone like a beacon at White Hart Lane and scored a superb goal. And
it was just one more eye-catching performance in a season when he has
been outstanding. The one blemish, arguably, was in Madrid when
Tottenham lost 4-0 to Real. But the early dismissal of Peter Crouch put
severe pressure on an over-worked midfield.
Nevertheless, Modric is one of the most talented and influential players
to grace the Premier League. In an era when physique often gets the
vote over panache, Modric has emerged as the exception to the rule. He
can make goals and he can score goals. He is rarely shifted off the
ball. True, Tottenham will not a win a trophy this season and that can
count against a candidate.
However,for me, Modric is one of those players who make top level
football worth watching. A little magician who would be a worthy
Footballer of the Year.