In a survey conducted by Marca, Carlo Ancelotti's current Real Madrid side was overwhelmingly declared as the greatest side to ever dawn the all-white strip. Capturing 35% of the votes, Ancelotti's men beat off competition from sides such as the Galactico side of the early 2000's and the side who won five consecutive European Cups in the 1950's.
In a recent article, Tim Collins quite eloquently summed up what everyone is thinking of the current Real Madrid side. "Right now, Real Madrid are gobsmackingly spectacular. The way Los Blancos are playing at present is why we love football and sport in general: We crave to see records broken, to witness previous benchmarks toppled, to have our perceptions challenged and our minds catapulted into distant possibilities."
Now you all must be thinking, "It's far too early for these sort of comments, it's only November". After all, football is an unpredictable sport in which things can change in a matter of seconds. Lots of things can happen. Loss of form, becoming too predictable, complacency and of course injuries.
Think of Real Madrid as a well-oiled race car engine. Now a car engine has four Pistons that move up and down to create power for the car. Cristiano, Benzema, Bale and James are the four Pistons that do the damage. Then there is the spark plug which supplies a spark that ignites the fuel so that combustion can occur. That seems perfect for Isco. Then comes the heart of the engine, better known as the crankshaft. The crankshaft is responsible for turning the Pistons in a circular motion; if the crankshaft doesn't work the whole engine collapses. And that's where you have Kroos and Modric.
When tuned appropriately, this engine can dazzle us with its power and speed. But what happens if one part is taken out? Well that's the million dollar question. Will Real Madrid be the same well-oiled machine without Luka Modric? In short, no. Replicating the same style of play will be close to impossible without the work-rate of Modric. Although as we have seen in the past, Ancelotti is one of the best of adapting with what he has. We saw it last year with the departure of Ozil, and this year with the departure of Di Maria and Xabi Alonso. So let’s take a look at some of the options that Ancelotti has at his disposal, to maintain this impressive run of form.
Open the Wallet
"No, Real Madrid will not be buying in January, because we are able to replace Modric, with other important players for this type of situation". Now in fairness this isn't the first time we've heard something along those lines from Ancelotti. In the summer after confirming the market was "closed" for Real Madrid, we witnessed a dead-line day deal for Chicharito. Despite Ancelotti's faith in Benzema, he was persuaded to secure an alternative just to be safe. With Asier Illarramendi struggling with a hamstring injury, Ancelotti might once again be persuaded to flex the incredible financial strength at his disposal. Here are some options:
Lucas Silva
Age: 21 Years
Club: Cruzeiro
At 21, Lucas Silva has already established himself as one of the finest midfielders in Brazil. The six feet tall youngster is mainly a defensive midfielder but is also highly capable with the ball at his feet. His physical presence is clearly highlighted by his 2.1 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per match. While his offensive ability his shown by his 87.7% pass completion rate. Silva’s style of play is very reminiscent of a young Sergio Busquets, strong, coordinated and excellent at distributing to the attack. With Sami Khedira likely to leave in the summer, this transfer could very much kill two birds with one stone.
Here’s a video showcasing his strongest attributes.
Christoph Kramer
Age: 23
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach (on loan from Bayer Leverkusen)
Christoph Kramer, now where have you heard that name? Oh right, he was the man who replaced Sami Khedira in the World Cup final after the Real Madrid midfielder injured himself in pre-match training. At the tender age of 23, Kramer has already made 124 senior appearances in Germany. After starting for his national side, in the biggest game in world football, Kramer was forced to be substituted in the first half with a possible concussion. Interestingly enough, it was later confirmed after sustaining the injury Kramer asked the referee “Ref is this the final?” Since then Kramer has recovered both physically and mentally and has made 12 appearances this season.
Like Lucas Silva, he too is known for his physical presence combined with his exceptional ability to distribute the ball. Although a deal in January seems unlikely due to his loan, he could very much be set on a move to Spain in the summer.
Arturo Vidal
Age: 27
Club: Juventus
Arturo Vidal surely needs no introduction. Over the past few seasons, the Chilean midfielder has established himself as one of the finest in his position. With Paul Pogba just signing a contract extension, Juventus could be tempted into selling Vidal if the right offer arrives. It also has to be said, at 27 Vidal doesn’t have too many more years ahead of him. Like every other player, he must dream of lifting the Champions League something that might not be possible at Juventus. His immense work rate paired with his goal scoring ability, would be an invaluable asset to Ancelotti. However due to his growing age and massive price-tag, he might not be a realistic target to pursue in the January transfer window.
Use the Cantero
Nothing warms the heart quite like seeing a local lad making his debut for the senior side after spending years in the youth ranks. Well on October 18th, Alvaro Medran made his debut for Real Madrid against Levante. The Castilla product has participated in a handful friendlies but this was his first official appearance. After replacing Modric in the 79th minute, Medran finally earned his first cap for the senior side
In a recent radio interview, Ancelotti talked up the possibility of using the youngster “We could replace Modric, with the youngster, Medrán who is playing really well for Castilla. It could be an option.” Medran has often been included in the first team’s training sessions and it seems like it will stay that way with Ancelotti confirming in his pre-match press conference that Medran will remain with the first team till Modric returns.
Medran unlike Kramer or Silva, is very similar to Modric. With the ability to dribble and provide defense splitting passes, he possesses great offensive capabilities. Not to mention he’s also more than capable of tracking back and helping his back four.
This could be an excellent opportunity for the 20 year old, who has for long been considered the next big thing to be produced by La Fabrica. Ever since Guti, no midfielder has established himself in the Real Madrid first team. Esteban Granero was in the team for a while but never really became a starter.
With Modric’s injury this could be the opportunity Medran has been waiting for. Here are some of his best moments.
Khedira, Isco and Illarramendi.
The most likely option still remains that Ancelotti will use his established stars to cover the loss of Modric. Despite none of the three are quite like Lukita. Isco clearly has the work rate to play in the same role, however it might take time for the 22 year old to adjust to this new deeper role. Not to mention the fact that his offensive ability might be limited if he were to play deeper. Sami Khedira could be brought in to provide more defensive cover and add balance to the team. Despite not being able to bring the same offensive potency as Isco, he could be brought in for the bigger games. Illarramendi is more of an intermediate option between the two. Not really standing out in one particular field, Illarra can provide both a creative source and defensive stability.
It can be argued that Modric’s injury has come at a good time for Los Blancos. Soaring on confidence, it should be easier to adapt to change now than if Real were struggling with bad run of results. According to reports, the longest possible time Modric could be out is three months. If worse comes to worse Modric should be back by Feburary 17th. This would mean he would miss a total of 24 games. Luckily however there aren’t many tough games until February. He will surely miss the trip to Valencia on the 4th of January along with the two remaining UCL group games. However the real test is the month of Feburary. Within the span of 18 days Ancelotti’s men will face the likes of Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. As well as the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. Time will tell the extent of Modric’s injury, while in the meantime it should be interesting to see how Ancelotti once again adapts to losing a key player.