Why Chelsea needs Modric

Having spent most of his career in the shadows, Luka Modric burst spectacularly into the limelight this week as Chelsea launched a bid to lure the talented Croatian away from White Hart Lane.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is said to be monitoring the situation and is ready to pounce for the player he believes should have been crowned the PFA player of the year last season ahead of his team-mate Gareth Bale.

Chelsea’s £22 million bid has been branded as “ridiculous” by Spurs boss Harry Redknapp and was rejected instantly by club chairman Daniel Levy, but make no mistake about it the Blues will be back – they need a player of his ilk quickly or face another trophy-less season.

Modric is a precious commodity. His creative talents set him apart from most of his peers and his ability in possession make him appear more Spanish in nature than Eastern European, and it is a Spaniard who needs him playing alongside him more than most.

The problem with Chelsea’s current midfield line up and squad in general is that it lacks an element of creativity, especially through the middle. Michael Essien and Jon Obi Mikel are the engine room and certainly know how to pass a ball but are more effective as a wrecking ball than a sabre to slice open opposition defences, while Frank Lampard is as honest a player that has ever graced the Premier League, but is more accustomed to scoring the goals than providing them.

The lack of craft and guile in the Chelsea midfield is apparent, and Modric would fit snugly into a side that could challenge for the title once more with a few summer additions.

Look at Torres’s time at Liverpool and when he was at his most successful with Spain before the emergence of David Villa. For Liverpool, Torres excelled not as a two man strike force like he has been shoehorned into at Chelsea alongside Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka, but when he was feeding off the service that Stephen Gerrard provided whilst playing just behind him.

The same applies for his national side where before any David Villa shirts were sold, Torres was the main man and had the ample talents of Xavi and Adreas Iniesta to rely upon.

Alone up front he is free to work the line as he sees fit and play on the shoulder of the defence, but with someone alongside his he is forced into an uncomfortable position he is unused to – and is unable to stretch the opposition defence.

If Chelsea are to find a way of justifying spending £50 million on the Spaniard they must build a team around him at the expense of others, otherwise he is on a hiding to nothing. Chelsea have adequate wingers to supply him from wide areas, now they must find an improved source of penetrative passes from the central midfield area.

With Torres and Modric in tandem in a system that suits both, the one the call El Nino may well start to cause havoc in the Premier League once more.

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