The Fulcrum called Luka Modric : Worth the beefy millions???

Over the last few days , the rumor mills are running overtime reporting various transfer destinations modric maybe landing up next season with gossips doing the rounds around Red Devils and the Galaticos ! The rumors have been rife that modric will join Real Madrid for  fee is rumoured to be around £28 - £31 million. He is of course an outstanding footballer , but as the creative spark is he the game changer , the one that sets everything off - he isnt....

In this article i would like to debate how good Modric is and how influential his play is on the game . At the same time , i will want to point out his over rated stature on some grounds. Modric should be hitting that killer dead ball or arriving on the edge of the box when it’s tight to take the points – he doesn’t… How many points and trophies have a, Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard won for their respective teams by doing just that?

Ok , so lets move onto the question that is modric a world class player ?

Now if we truly believe he is existent among st one of them , then we have to compare him to players that play in his position and are undoubtedly world class , players such as Pirlo , Scholes,  Xavi , Iniesta , Silva, Sneijder . I actually believe Modric has the ability,potential and the skills to be a world class player ; but at the moment he is not. There are many things that he does exceptionally well such as holding onto the ball in difficult circumstances and he is generally very good at finding space. His passing range as well is very good along with his vision, he has all the attributes needed to be compared to the top players and I believe he could be up there with them. However I think there are attributes to his game which means that currently he is only in the very good camp and not the world class camp.

For me Modric does not score goals as well stack up enough assists to justify his creative attacking midfielder prominence. I realise he is often the architect being assisting the assist-er and combines this with his swift offensive positioning off the ball, but his record barely classifies him in the domain for a world class player. Agreed is not about how many goals he does and does not score. It is not about how many assists per game he does or does not have. It is about possession! He runs the team as he is the fulcrum about which Tottenham's possession stems , but ultimately stats are needed to prove the talent !

I think he often plays lot deeper meaning his passing is not effective as it could be. I do firmly believe though Modric can be world class, in order to get to this level he must play higher up the pitch and take more risks. His vision and passing ability would be a lot more effective and lethal if he played ten yards further up the pitch.  I for one would love him to go to Real Madrid and see how he fares against the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquets and of course the great Lionel Messi. Spanish football is littered with sso mant teams who have a lot of gifted players. Modric has been known to say in his broken English that he meeds to be playing in the Champions League but was’nt he part of the team that failed to claim 3rd spot by throwing away a 10 point advantage to Arsenal?

Isn’t it amazing how Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Slaven bilic  and virtually every other manager and footballer in europe would want this guy in their team?

The fulcrum can surely be the Master of his craft if he starts to control the game from just behind the front men , thus on the road to excellence to become world class player .

Shinji Kagawa - Manchester United's Samurai

Having signed the Japanese international Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund, there are doubts and question marks over how the Red Devils will stack up in attack next season and where exactly this Samurai will fit at Old Trafford. Most people seem to think that Kagawa is the long term replacement for Paul Scholes, despite him being a completely different player. He is certainly not! The addition of Kagawa to the mix should only increase United' depth of attacking options.

He is both style and substance, using his creativity and gorgeous footwork to wreak havoc in opposing back fields. He plays with a crowd-pleasing flair, but gets results at the same time. If he can also gel with the young crop of Cleverly, Tunnicliffe, Norwood, Pogba, Lingard in the upcoming years - surely 

United will have a promising squad that brims with excellence.

The 23-year-old has a fine goal scoring record with 86 goals in 198 club appearances to date. Manchester United has not relied on midfielders scoring much in the past four years, but the extra scoring threat brought by playmakers such as Ashley Young, Nani, Valencia and Kagawa will give added goal scoring prowess behind Rooney, Welbeck and Chicharito. 

Though he can also play on the left wing as he does for his national side , the deal seems to have been agreed as playing just behind the striker as he was frequently in the center of the pitch for Dortmund. He would likely line up in a similar role for Manchester United behind Wayne Rooney, but don't be surprised if Rooney drops deep and Kagawa thrusts forward. So , Kagawa may play potently on the left wing , or in the midfield duo , or best may play in the hole behind either rooney / welbeck/ hernandez . He is willing to back himself to succeed , explaining his ambition on refusing to wear the iconic no 7 jersey .

"I've just joined the team and haven't accomplished anything yet," Kagawa told the media scrumb upon landing.  "I want to make a name for myself [at United] on my own terms."

Back in Japan, Kagawa sometimes played as a striker and bagged over 50 goals for Cerezo Osaka before moving to the Bundesliga. The interchanges that we commonly saw from the Rooney - Welbeck partnership may become a common sight with Kagawa - Rooney. His defensive contribution is questionable,but dont be fooled by his stature - he is a strong tackler and good header of the ball ; he does work hard which means he wont sidestep defensive responsibilities for just offensive returns.

Switching to 4-2-3-1 could prove a masterstroke as it would utilize Kagawa properly as well as allow Scholes - Carrick to operate deep alongwith our defensive issues with marauding runs from Evra , Rafael. But the players likely to suffer from this setup are going to be Park , Giggs and Hernandez who will be employed for limited time presence on the field. He perfectly fits into 4-4-1-1 , but why not try altering when it's beneficial for the entire team ?

Apart from the customary 4-4-1-1 & the suggested 4-3-2-1 ; why not a 4-1-2-1-2 formation ??

GK: De Gea
LB: Evra/Fabio CB: Vidic/Smalling CB: Evans/Ferdinand RB: Rafael/Jones
CDM: Carrick/Scholes/Fletcher
LM: Nani/Young RM: Valencia/Park
CAM: Kagawa
LS: Rooney RS: Welbeck/Hernandez

It is mandatory that fans should keep their patience & shouldn't immediately expect Kagawa to replicate his Bundesliga prowess , as the EPL is a challenging league and it will take to adjust to the various scenarios. As it proved this season even 89 goals are not enough to ensure the title , it will be interesting to watch Fergie's tactical anarchist ideology on the way the Red Devils setup up in their quest for 20th EPL title .

"The contract was as long as I'd expected from a club [like United]," said a smiling Kagawa. "When I was at [Old Trafford], I thought about how incredible it would be if I could score there."