This Tuesday, Real Madrid plays one of the most important matches of the season in the first leg of the quarter finals of the Champions League against Arsenal and Luka Modric could be the player chosen by Carlo Ancelotti to occupy the center of the field together with Tchouaméni and Bellingham.
The reasons for Modric’s starting berth
Carlo Ancelotti may have decided to give Luka Modric the start in the important first leg of the Champions League against Arsenal. The Croatian player has shown, once again, that he is still one of the most talented players in the midfield, his physical condition, at 39, is not that of a player of his age and, furthermore, he was a substitute in the last league game against Valencia.
Dani Ceballos, who will be a doubt until the last moment, would arrive out of rhythm and, if he were to be included in the squad, it would not make sense for him to start due to the two months he has been out of action, perhaps to give him some playing time in the second half.
Another alternative would be Camavinga, but Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t quite trust the Frenchman, who is having a very irregular season with good and bad games, and he might prefer to save him for the second half.
And the other alternative that the Italian coach is considering is to put Fede Valverde in his natural position, but everything indicates that he will be a right back and that Lucas Vázquez will start on the bench, probably with some time in the second half to reinforce the midfield with the Uruguayan.
Modric, a life insurance policy in important matches
At this stage of his career, Luka Modric is not going to be fazed by having to play at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. The Croatian has already won six Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and his performance and confidence are beyond doubt for Ancelotti. On the other hand, he is the only player with a profile that helps the team move the ball from side to side, who knows how to organize the team, and who knows what decision to make at all times. A key midfielder for a game that requires as much experience as possible to optimize the options of a team that seeks to continue reigning in the top European competition.
Luka Modric was already a starter in the second leg of the last sixteen against Atlético Madrid, playing a prominent role in the team’s game in a bad collective performance, while in the first leg, coming off the bench, he put on a display of play knowing how to set the tempo once Brahim made it 2-1 which, in the end, was key to going through to the next round.
Modric in search of making history
Luka Modric is in the final stretch of his career. His future at Real Madrid is uncertain; after all, he turns 40 in September. His goal is to retire with the white team, and lift his seventh Champions League (it would be his turn as Real Madrid’s first captain). It would be the culmination of an impressive career and would make him the football player with the most Champions Leagues alongside Lucas Vázquez.
He has more than enough ability to be a starter and, what’s more, the team needs a player of his class and characteristics to be able to keep up the pace of a complicated game, but one in which Ancelotti’s team have a good chance of achieving a result that will allow them to face the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu with confidence.
We will see what Carlo Ancelotti’s final decision is, but given the team’s needs, it seems clear that the Croatian footballer will start in the next Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.