How to beat teams and survive without Luka Modric
Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 9:24AM The club have confirmed that Moddle has sustained a fracture to his right fibula. That might amount to 8 weeks or more out.
With Luka, all the playmaking comes from his magical little feet. Dinking in from the left, dictating and conducting the midfield and forwards as we turn it on offensively. He is imperative to the style Harry has us playing. That’s no exaggeration. And it’s no exaggeration to also suggest that without Luka, the dynamic of the team drastically changes. He allows for our short passing game that starts out on the left hand side of the field, drawing in the opposition, then switching play to the opposite flank where Aaron stands with wide open space before him. Everyone in the team slot into their roles, combining effortlessly. It’s a style. And it’s one by virtue of what our wonderful Croatian brings to the game. He’s the link, the tick that allows for the tock.
So how do we compensate? How do we go about replacing him? Well in a word, we can’t replace the irreplaceable. Firstly, there is zero chance of us going out and signing another world class midfielder. It’s not an option because Modric will be back in 2/3 months. Another midfielder to cover Wilson Palacios would be the best signing we can make with the time left in this window. A secondary signing to cover the left would be dependent on what Harry decides, tactically, because compensating for Luka is something that can be done.
Our short passing game might suffer, but there are options. How effective these options will be and how it might disturb the balance of the team is something I’d have preferred not to see tested with Utd and Chelsea up next.
So, what’s the option?
Let’s say we don’t sign a left-winger and make do with what we have. One option would be to have Lennon out on the left-wing and David Bentley out on the right. Ideally, with Peter Crouch upfront alongside Jermain Defoe. Slightly different approach play required, but the idea is for Bentley to ping in balls to Crouchies head, and he should have plenty of time and space to do so if Lennon pulls players to his side of the field much like Luka does. Extra responsibility will fall onto the shoulders of Tom Huddlestone who will have to stamp his bulkly authority on the game, conducting play and tempo. But still keep an eye on defensive duties, avoiding any isolation of Wilson Palacios. Hudd has to lift his game to supreme quarterback status and sharpen up his range and passing completion. The question here is whether he finds the time on the ball to ping it around at his heart’s content. At the moment, Keane helps out the midfield, dropping deep. Dropping Keane might be detrimental to Tom’s performance.
Would Harry even consider dropping Keane to the bench? If he doesn’t it may well be Keane out on the left and Aaron remaining on the right (with Bentley still warming the bench). Gio might get a chance. Bale (when he returns) also. Unless we do make a signing. But a signing would mean further selection problems in a few months time. And Keane on the left still doesn’t help Hudd in the middle.
Complicated this is, no?
A lot of the play will go through the wingers and onto the head of Crouch. Plan B, with Plan A in rehab.
There’s still room for the short passing game even with Bentley and Crouch on the field of place. Balls to feet, Lennon running in on goal and Defoe sniffing in and around the box waiting for a killer pass. It’s not that shabby and not too far off the way we play now. We can still mix it up with Modric in the team. We’ll have to mix it up without him. The problem with the tactical switch is that we have to rely on Bentley finding form and doing so quickly and for Azza to fit in comfortably over on the left hand side. No reason why he shouldn’t be able to do so. The key is that he continues to ‘cut in’ and BAE offers a respite with his overlapping.
And there's Jermaine Jenas. Not sure what we do with him, but he's there as an option.
I guess, if we aspire to be top 6 or even top 4, we have to be able to adapt and players have to be able to take responsibility - rather than us place all our hopes on the shoulders of one lickle magical Croatian. How ironic that Bentley might reclaim past form from the depression of losing Luka.
As for the possibility of also losing Ledley King for a few games? Gulp. Although it sounds like he should be fine for the Utd game. Woodgate is also (apparently) back in training and should be available for the next one. Which would at least sort out the defensive issues.
Luka, get well soon buddy. Spurs, heads up, the quality is there to get through this.
Reader Comments (42)
Damn.
Sigh.
Gutted. Had to happen to Luka, didn't it?
Give Gio a Chance.
I would drop Keane back into the midfiled role vacated by Modric. He may not be as tricky as Moddle but he can do it.
I just heard it on Sunday Supplement on Sky, and I was in stunned silence. It's almost like the death of a mate.
Keane can do a job on the left which means we can stick Crouch up front with Defoe, keep Aaron on the right and then perhaps play Hudd and sometimes JJ through the middle depending on the opposition. Good news about Woodgate and King. I don't feel as depressed as I did last night. We'll get through it, no choice really.
What did they say about us on the Sunday Supplement? They are usually anti-Spurs at the best of times.
At home, I reckon do what we did yesterday - stick Keane on the left, who is more than capable of playing Modric's role, and have Defoe and Crouch up front. Away, I'd look at Gio on the left and then a decision has to be made on who the front two should be - I would stick with Defoe and Crouch, with Gio and Lennon providing great run and delivery from both sides. Don't mind the Bentley option, as I think he would play perfectly with Crouch in the team, but I'd rather keep Lennon settled on the right. The overall aim must be to minimise the impact on the way the team plays, and I actually think playing Keane on the left will do this, even if we play a few more long balls to Crouch - it worked yesterday!
i knew it was all goin too smoothly!!!!!!!!
kind of agree with your analysis spooky............selling bentley as many suggested now shows up as a mistaken
view .........this shows the squad will have to deal with it.........redknapp will sort
It looked like a nothing challenge, this is a huge blow for us! Maybe Harry will sign Petrov now? or give Gio a chance. Terrible luck, why Modric!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gutted!!!!
Palacios please stay fit otherwise the midfield could be in big trouble.
I think our depth will help us out here. I'm actually more worried about losing King than Modric, strange as that may seem. We have about 3 or 4 different options for "replacing" Modric. The only option of replacing King at the moment is Corluka, and I'm not convinced by his abilities at centre-half, nor Bassong's abilities without the confidence of King around him.
We've got depth. It's not perfect and we will have to change our approach work but it's fine. Well, it's not fine, but we'll have to make do.
Signing a Palacios 'cover' is now imperative.
Oh yeah...losing Palacios would be a much bigger blow to us than Modric, IMO too. Anyone else agree?
A massive blow to be sure, but like you say, if we have top 4, even top 6, aspirations we have to prove we have the SQUAD to do it. I think we do.
Looking at the best case scenario, with Modders missing 8 weeks of action, he misses only six league games. The first two, Manure and Cheatski, we would be expected to lose anyway, and I'd say now we probably will - but no real drama there. Next comes Burnely at home, who I'd expect us to overcome with or without the little genius. Rolling into October we face Bolton away, a game which poor old Luka probably ain't suited to anyway, ditto Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Round off the eight weeks with Stoke visiting the Lane and that's another three I'd hope for us to take even without our best player.
The little men are generally quick healers, and it didn't look like a truly serious injury when he went down (although you never know of course) so let's hope we see Modders back on the pitch ASAP
Harry has been trying to sign another player like Palacios with no joy. Hopefully he might get someone. Keane down the left might work....Harry might have to call O'hara back if we don't sign anyone in the midfield. I still think we should have signed Distin for that extra cover at the back. Our injury list is starting to pile up. It would be so cruel if that is what costs us!
No matter how you look at it, we are weaker without him. I know it's obvious to state that but it's going to be a lot more difficult to stay in touch with the Top 4 and really push City for 5th. I hope I'm wrong.
IF I WERE HARRY INJURIES PERMITTING I WOULD PLAY BALE / SANTOS ON THE LEFT WING , KEANE IN BEHIND THE TWO STRIKERS OF CROUCH AND DEFOE , NAUGHTON R / BACK CORLUKA C / DEFENCE BUY JAMES FOR CUDICINI IS A VERY POOR KEEPER INDEED , IF PAVLYUCHENKO MOVES ON WHICH I HOPE HE WILL HARRY CERTAINLY HAS A STRIKER IN MIND I AM SURE IE LIKE NISTLEROOY !
4-6 weeks out according to Modric himself. A thread over at GG has a Croatian article about the injury and quotes Moddle. We'll have to wait for official word. Recovery time might be 6 weeks at worst, but he still needs to regain fitness, so 8 weeks is still the more likely.
redknapp may buy in a player.....id like to see gio de santos and bentley
the chances which crouch (effective) got with headers about 4 one being a goal
so bentley can deliver those crosses
Three words
Giovani Dos Santos
I AGREE GIVE GIO A CHANCE
HARRY HEAR ME ROAR GIVE GIO A CHANCEEEEEEEE!!!
ive been a constant champion of dos santos but i worry about him going up against chelsea and utd...i don't think he's quite ready for such matchups...from what i've seen with him playing for mexico, he eats up lesser competition alive but struggles a bit against the big boys...regardless, he is still a huge talent and in time i believe could be great (did anyone else see how he went over to modric after the injury?...maybe the attitude problem is gone??)...I like what we did after modric left...you know why? cause we ended up with 3 points...that probably gives some level of confidence to the crew too knowing they pulled it off after luka went down
...with that, some sort of cover for our other North American is definitely necessary but I think keane on the left could work...perhaps use gio as his sub for the latter minutes or if things go south quickly?? we should just see how it works against man u and if we get rocked, reevaluate with chels...
Has anyone conisderd that if we wish to replicate the style of play we currently are championing then another raid on Portsmouth is needed. Niko Kranjkar is a compatriot and friend to Luka and will not only offer competition (with similar style of play) but will also please Luka and settle him at the lane even more.
Should have gone in for him last week as he would have been a mill or 2 cheaper.
Loosing Moddle is a triffic blow, but as ‘us futbol’ ‘said: we actually won the game after Modric went off-the-pitch.
Our squad has good balance, and depth, and it takes the odd injury and suspension to give the ‘bench players’ a chance to shine. You would expect people like Bentley and Gio to be bursting to get on that pitch and show Harry what they can do. Thus, I think that there is a positive light in which to view this unfortunate scenario.
Personally, I would give Gio a go. I am not keen on the idea bringing Lennon across to left-wing action. I think I would end-up watching games from behind the sofa with Lennon and BAE on the same flank. I am all for attacking football, but there is a balance to be achieved and the horror genre is not one I have ever been keane on.
Its sad to see him injured as I enjoy watching him very much. However IMO it really isnt that serious to our aspirations. As others have said, its CB where we are really lacking, so any injuiries there hurt badly. I also think losing either Lennon or Palacios would be bigger blows to the way we play. The whole point of having a squad is that you should be able to cope with a few injuries, and I think we can cope easily without Modders for a few weeks (Keane, Dos Santos, Bentley, Rose to name but 4). And its not as if he's scoring or setting up all the goals. IMO Lennon is the biggest factor in our success - his pace is genuinely irreplaceable, he's scoring goals and his crossing has become excellent. He's a massive talent and one which is strangely overlooked. If it wasnt for Jol and Maclaren's bizaare insistence on playing him on the left for almost a whole season, I genuinely think he'd be a world beater by now: even so he is close to that now and is still very young. Please god dont let him get injured playing for England!
Whatever happens, we actually have options, which shows some depth.
For me, Keane on the left is a like for like, as Mod could also play the Keano role behind the striker (and you sometimes see them interchange) and has played exceptionally well, as is given the freedom to move about, one of his strengths.
If we want to be more direct then Gio provides another option, but overall quality is unknown despite the 'give him a chance' mentality he needs to be good enough before he steps on hte pitch, not the other way round to find out if he is good enough when he steps on the pitch.
Lennon on the left and bentley on the right? Well having scored a couple of times I would guess that lennon's confidence is sufficciently high, and bentley has shown a modicum of a better attitude matched by some ability against donny (but don't forget this was only doncaster not Man U).
But we could still start the season with what we have and be comfortable in pushing for a top 6. So if we sign no-one else between now and tuesday, then maybe the stability that shows we have some strength in depth. and in 6-8 weeks time when Mod comes back into the squad hungrier and sharp again, it might be a well timed return like a new signing (just before the first NLD coincidentally) to give us a boost.
As an aside it is nice to get a break now, to allow daws and woody to get back to fitness. For once the break is well timed to favour us as the squad as a whole, rather than the usual stop-start that we have!!
I think the way to beat teams and survive without Luka is to score more goals than we let in. Simple, there is a complicated mathematical equation that helps to explain this theory, where if the number of goals acrredited to Spurs is higher than number of goals accredited to the opposition then Spurs win !!. Keep it quiet mind you, don't want others working it out.
Ladies........
This situation is thrust upon all top teams and how they cope with it is a testament of overall quality.The little lad is one of the best midfielders we have ever signed and of course his presence will undoubtedly be missed,but thats why the modern game is a squad game,Alex Ferguson would have settled for a 12 week out of action Owen Hargreaves.The top teams manage and if that's what we want to be then that's what we will have to do too.
Fortunately we do have depth in our squad and a manager who knows how to rework and tinkle to make up for any difficiencies we may suffer .
No need to panic if Harry feels he needs to spend I am sure he has a plan b in hand.
Does anybody know if there is an emergency clause that would allow O'Hara to return if needed?
Either
David Bently on the left, IMO hes completley fine with both feet, ive seen him deliver crosses most left-footers would be proud of with his left peg and stick crouch up front and just fire it at him all day
Or
Give Gio dos Santos his chance, hes been class for mexico and he could do the job, we all saw how Barcelonas kids ran riot in that pre-season tournament and Gio came through the same system and he was considered better than most of them so hes obviously got talent in abundance just needs game time.
Well said Spooky!
If we want to compete for Champions League in the future, we must not be dependent on any one or two players. Modric's skill level can rarely be matched and he will be missed, but the lads need to come together and work as a team. For some on the bench, this will be their chance to prove to 'Arry that they are worthy of the Lilywhite.
COYS!!!!!!
From the OS:
For the purposes of clarity and in order to correct early mis-reporting of his injury, Luka Modric suffered a fracture to his fibula on Saturday which does not require surgery and simply requires the wearing of an aircast protective boot.
It is anticipated Luka will be back in training after six weeks.
So 6-8 weeks is about right for a return.
That goon Bowyer... Worried about King as well, we looked very fragile without him. I'm well pleased to hear that Woodgate is back in training but I expect it to be a long time before he is ready to return. I think its pretty obvious that this means Keane will play out on the left and Crouch/Defoe up front. I win is a win but it was the very definition of a phyrric victory. Losing Modric and King is really tough to swallow.
I'm getting pretty fed up with the "high spending spurs storyline". To use the statistic that Spurs have spent 125mm quid in the last three windows is so misleading that it is demonstrably false. We have sold 115mm in players during that same period, could we turn around and say "We are a selling club?".
Guestimates:
Summer 2008: Out: Tanio, Lee Young Pyo, Gardner, Kaboul, Keane, Robinson, Chimbonda, Malbranque, Berbatov: (80mm in) In: Modric, Gio Dos Santos, Mpoku, Bostock, Gomes, Bentley, Pavlenchenko, Corluka (63mm spent) Net: +17mm
Jan 2009 window: Out: None In: Defoe, Cudicini, Chimbonda, Keane, Palacios (40mm spent) Net: -40mm
Summer 2009 window: Out: Bent, Zokora, Chimbonda, Boateng, Gunter, Berchiche plus numerous loan deals including O'Hara. (32mm) In: Naughton, Walker, Crouch, Bassong. (27mm out) Net:+5mm.
How does 18mm net spending of 3 windows make us this massive spending club? Absolutely ridiculous to paint the club in that light and at some point, it'd be smart for the club to tell these fucking clowns to report the truth because the next angle after we drop two games in a row is "how spurs spent 125mm quid with no results." Tossers.
And if we sign Van der Vaart our WAG's will be top of the league easy....rant done on day. Off to throw darts at Bowyers picture on dartboard.
Nice one Tim. We're an easy target for the green eyed monsters.
Nice one Spooky (only whats a 'rest bite', I think you mean respite?)
We'll do just alright without Modders, or do very well by getting in the right reinforcements.
We will be missing Modric for sure especially in the next few games (ManU, Chelsea). We will miss his killer passes and play. However one the positive side, Keane will most prob be playing on the left till Modric is back. He has done that job earlier and am sure will do it okay till Modric is back. Good thing is that gives starts for Defoe and Crouch. Keane has been wasteful with chances this season and in the next two games we dont want to be missing chances and Harry wouldnt drop Keane to the bench. I dont think this is because Keane is bad. I have a feeling that he is trying too much for a goal to justify his place. So maybe a spell on the left where he can provide some assists can help bring back his confidence and who knows maybe a few goals!!!
Anyway I disagree with others about Gio or Bentley on the left atleast against ManU and Chelsea. With the kind of attacking football we are playing I think we can beat anyone (and be beaten by anyone :( with a score of 5-4 or something).
Lets go for it.. All out attack.. COYS!!!
For sure we will miss lil' Luka, but I'm squarely against moving Lennon out left (where he is not as effective) to accomodate Bentley.
I think to not rock the boat too much is key here; keep the team as similar as possible to what we've seen. Consistency is king.
I'd give Gio his chance until such a time as he proves himself unfit for the task. If he's not up to it, then you can look at things like the Lennon left/Bentley Right option. I think Gio might just surprise some of his dubters though, if he's given a go.
On a positive note, I think Gomes should be back, or close to it, by the Man u or Chelsea game.
Injuries are getting heavy. Woodagte, Dawson, King, Modric, Gomes, Jenas. That's 5 of our first XI and a key sub. Of those, the only one I heard as a chance for the Man U game is King and I'm not about to go bet on it. Not sure where you are getting the optimistic reports Kaybee. I don't think we are in for James if Gomes would be back in 2 weeks. Someone posted Woodgate was training which I haven't read anywhere either and I'm highly doubtful since his surgery was about 3 weeks ago. He is probably walking now and maybe doing some stretching but he's long off playing. Those groin surgury's take forever.
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