“I talk to him every day. He’s not happy, obviously, but he’s still very motivated.” Carlo Ancelotti wanted to be reassuring last weekend before the reception of Osasuna (Madrid victory 4-0. His relationship with Luka Modric is still good, even if the Real Madrid coach caused the Croatian to lose the starting status of the Real Madrid. In 9 matches in all competitions since the start of the season, the midfielder has only played 391 minutes. He has even remained on the bench for two consecutive La Liga matches against Las Palmas and Girona. A time of hungry game, as Modric has been important for a long time with the Merengues.
Just last year, he was present in the Champions League and in the important moments of the season, although of course his 38 years were already starting to make themselves felt. Ancelotti now prefers the Valverdre-Tchouameni-Camavinga trio, younger, more dynamic, more physical. Until then, the 2018 Ballon d’Or had remained silent, but back home during this international break, he took the opportunity to take stock. “It’s a new situation for me to no longer play as much as before and as much as I would like”he immediately blurted out during a press point, on the eve of Croatia-Turkey counting for qualifying for Euro 2024.
Modric: “I still want to play. I don’t want a break.”
The Croatian captain continues, indicating that this new state of affairs does not suit him. He needs rhythm and terrain. “I still want to play. I don’t want a break, I don’t want to take a vacationinsists the one who has 24 goals in 168 caps with his country. I want to play because that’s where I feel better and so I prepare better for matches.” He still recognizes one thing, which is that this rest against his will could be beneficial to him for the rest of the season. He will still have physical freshness when his competitors have already played a lot of matches. However, he doesn’t like it any more.
“This situation could have some benefits going forward, so we’ll see, but I don’t want that. I want to play, and if necessary, every three days, because physically I’m fine. It would have been a different story if that wasn’t the case but I feel good physically and mentally and I want to play. insists Modric, who refused a Saudi offer last summer to stay at Real Madrid where he seemed to still be unbreakable. “Everything that’s happening around me right now is normal. I accept it. I have to mentally prepare myself for this situation, accept it and move on.” The message got through… rightly.
