Luka Modric can play in multiple roles as his illustrious career has shown, but Massimiliano Allegri may already have a position in mind.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, Modric can be decisive in every position. However, Milan are waiting for him and are thinking about where to play him next season. There is news on the horizon: Modric, in Allegri’s Milan, should also play as a regista.
That means he will be the central midfielder in a 4-3-3, a position he has rarely played in in his career. Indeed, if Milan play with a 4-3-3, that’s where we’ll see Modric most often: this are the initial idea in view of the new season.
Luka played mainly as a mezzala in a 4-3-3 at Real Madrid. The midfield with Casemiro in front of the defence and Toni Kroos on the other prong made history. Modric controlled the game there, raising the quality of each possession and making the difference in the attacking midfield with his assists.
At 40, however, things could change and the regista position could help both him and Milan. Luka would have the ball at his feet even more, Milan would rediscover the quality lost with the farewell of Tijjani Reijnders. Alongside him, Allegri could field two more physical players, who cover ground.
How is Modric? He’s fine, he hasn’t had any injuries last season and the (a lot) of work on prevention is paying off. He’s currently at the Club World Cup with Real Madrid and, in his debut against Al Hilal, he played a few minutes at the end.
If nothing changes, it should be the last act of his time with Los Blancos. Luka and Milan have reached an agreement for next season, a one-year deal with an option for a second year. That agreement has never been made official so we’ll have to wait.
The idea is that Modric will take a break at the end of the season and join Milan during preseason. In Italy he can be a starter or a key player during the match, because with only one match per week the issue of managing minutes doesn’t feel as pressing.
Modric has played in all midfield positions in his career. With Croatia he is one of the two in the double pivot and has often been in tandem with his good friend Mateo Kovacic. In his club career he has been a mezzala and an attacking midfielder, in two and three-man systems.
With him, ultimately, the team structure changes little. Modric reads the situations, controls the ball with technique, finds spaces and tries to create new ones. In addition, he manages to be a leader, the first reason why Igli Tare called him as soon as he settled in Casa Milan.