da supremo：
da betsul： As nine-man Liverpool were brushed aside by an in-form Tottenham side yesterday, there was one man at the centre of the North London’s side performance who many Tottenham supporters may not have expected to be around after the transfer window shut.
Croatian international Luka Modric was caught up in a long-running transfer feud between Spurs and Chelsea throughout August, with the Blues even tabling a bid worth £40m, but to everyone’s surprise Spurs chairman Daniel Levy rejected any advances and Modric remained at White Hart Lane.
For most of the summer it had looked inevitable that Modric would be making his ‘dream move’ to join Chelsea, and it appeared that Levy was fighting a losing battle. However Levy did not once change his stance after insisting he would not sell the player, and as a result of his gamble Spurs are now reaping the rewards. Modric turned in a majestic display on Sunday in a game that could be vital at the end of the season.
Modric said after the Man City defeat that ‘he didn’t feel ready to play’ and was indeed invisible during the game – but on Sunday he returned to form with a magnificent performance, spraying passes around, linking up well with Scott Parker in the midfield and scoring a contender for goal of the season.
He was in splendid form, reducing Liverpool’s central midfield pairing of Charlie Adam and Lucas to committing fouls in order to break up play; the Reds pair chipped away at the ankles of their opponents which eventually led to Adam’s dismissal. Modric’s stunning strike after seven minutes to open the scoring set the tone for the performance of his side, and the celebration that followed suggests that his focus had once again firmly returned to life in north London.
[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]
Modric’s creative flair found its perfect partner in the combative Parker, making his home debut following his deadline day switch from West Ham. The Englishman created more space for Modric to exploit and gave Spurs far more options than Nico Kranjcar was offering alongside Modric.
Spurs surely have one of the most talented squads in the Barclays Premier League and having beaten off constant interest in star turn Modric, Redknapp has also strengthened in key areas. They now have a realistic chance of bringing UEFA Champions League football back to White Hart Lane next season and the dominant performance against one their rivals showed that they are well-equipped for the season ahead.
If they were able to secure the highest level of European football, there would even be a slim chance of keeping Modric at the club past this season. If Modric and the rest of the team can continue this fine form then there is every chance that there can become kings of North London for the first time in 21 years and achieve a top-four finish above rivals Arsenal.
Levy has faced some criticism for keeping an obviously unhappy player at Spurs against his will, when the club could have reinvested the money made on his transfer – but his display on Sunday showed why Levy was right to take this risk. A worthy gamble for the future of Tottenham Hotspur.
Did Sunday’s performance prove Levy was right to keep Modric or would Spurs have been better selling the Croatian? Let me know your thought below and follow me on twitter @aidanmccartney for more thoughts and views on the biggest issues in football
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’centre’]