Javier Zanetti - fraud
Active member
prime Busquets is unreal but there are 3-4 better (Lothar,RIjkaard,Redondo)Also anyone who thinks Busquets is close to Lothar needs to lay off the meth.
Luka Modrić
- Thread starter Bergkamp10
- Start date
Temptation
Well-known member
Busquets is not strong enough defensively or physically to be in this conversation.
A total system player just like Xavi and Iniesta and many of that Barca group. Messi and Alves weren't system players obviously.
Javier Zanetti - fraud
Active member
for me still the most underrated player ever along with Makelele
Temptation
Well-known member
No Busquets is one of the players who became overrated gradually owing to the constant underrated shouts. Similar to Paul Scholes.
Defensively suspect and awful physically for a DM. The proof is in the pudding. One of the biggest reasons for Barca's CL exits in the last 7 years.
Javier Zanetti - fraud
Active member
I agree the last 7 years part,he been terrible post MSN era,if he was playing for RM,uncle Flo would have thrown him out in 2017.
Fati_Future_BallonDor
Well-known member
If he gets enough rest he is still worldclass
I feel we sold Iniesta too early, as a bench player this guy would have been maybe as useful as old Modric. In Anfield a guy like Iniesta could have been the key...
I feel we sold Iniesta too early, as a bench player this guy would have been maybe as useful as old Modric. In Anfield a guy like Iniesta could have been the key...
In hindsight, reading this is hilarious.
Temptation
Well-known member
How's he playing week in week out?
I love Modric, but.....
For the last few years with Modric, I feel it's like he has one good performance after a few months and people are like he's still World Class. No one criticises, scrutinizes or discusses his weekly performances.
It's like the Zlatan phenomenon. Zlatan scores once in the last 5 months and people on social media are like "He's 40 and still scoring" without noticing that he's been shite/injured for months and "playing" very much like a normal 40 year old Footballer should.
@Morten what's Modric's current level week in week out? We know he's capable of the occasional World Class performance here and there.
Fati_Future_BallonDor
Well-known member
he was voted as the flop transfer of the season 12/13 from real madrid fans and many guys said he is not good enough for real but since the beginning of the 13/14 season he became magic
Temptation
Well-known member
One thing that favours Modric is:
Iniesta(and Xavi for that matter) are very specific system players. In that prime Barca and Spain system, they're probably amongst the best midfielders ever. But outside that system, they are just good, high quality mids. Nowhere near all time great level. Their careers pre Pep/2008 proves this.
Modric on the other hand is a more complete player and can adapt to numerous playing systems. Whether it's at Spurs in the physical PL, or in the LL under Ancelotti/Zidane or for the Croatian national team. Physically Modric has a better engine and is defensively stronger than Iniesta.
Marcelo Bielsa recently:
“The hardest player to find in football is the 8. I named it ‘the Modric’, who defends like a 6 and attacks like a 10. He has the ability to defend, the skills to attack and understanding the game in both directions.”
serghei
Senior Member
That is somewhat true, but you'd have to be a moronic manager to have for example Xavi in your team, ask him to defend deep, and play counter attacking football, when he could basically allow your team to dominate in midfield any opponent.
Let's say that a bad manager is more likely to use Xavi poorly, and in this case a bad manager could get more out of Modric.
So, lets say they are both managed by Tony Pulis or Sam Allardyce. Then I think they could do more with someone like Modric.
Any possession-based manager would start the midfield with Xavi, every time.
Some elite pragmatic managers like Simeone, Mourinho, counter-attacking managers would probably lean Modric. Someone like Klopp would lean Xavi.
Let's say that a bad manager is more likely to use Xavi poorly, and in this case a bad manager could get more out of Modric.
So, lets say they are both managed by Tony Pulis or Sam Allardyce. Then I think they could do more with someone like Modric.
Any possession-based manager would start the midfield with Xavi, every time.
Some elite pragmatic managers like Simeone, Mourinho, counter-attacking managers would probably lean Modric. Someone like Klopp would lean Xavi.
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