RAFA V ROGER...A TALE OF TWO OF THE G.O.A.T

Does any tennis match these days come any bigger than ROGER V RAFA? Absolutely NONE...at least for now.

The 2012 Australian Open with the sobriquet OZ  has provided tennis fans worldwide with a great opportunity to marvel at yet another feisty duel between TWO of the best players in the history of tennis. With 26 grand slams (GS) and more than a 100 titles between them, Nadal and Federer have paid their dues in no small measure and will see this as a chance to add to their burgeoning resumes.

They are normally used to meeting in title matches. However, the devastating form of Novak Djokovic last year has ensured that this time they meet in the final before the final (SF) for the 1st time since 2005 when an unknown, unheralded 19 year old Nadal stunned the Swiss master in the semis of Roland Garros. The Spanish Matador went on to win his 1st GS title (d.Puerta) and since then has not looked back.

Federer for all his achievements hasn't fared well against Nadal. His record of 17 losses in 26 meetings v the Spanish power house represents his worst among any player on the ATP tour. Even Sampras and Agassi weren't half as dominant v the great Swiss. He has also lost 7 times in 9 GS meetings V Rafa, including 6 finals (1 Wimbledon, 4 French, 1 Aussie Open). He will aim to change all that when they meet at the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.

The last time they met here was 3 years ago when King Roger was aiming to become only the 2nd man to win 14 slams after Pistol Pete. That was not to be as Nadal put paid to his ambitions in 5 gruelling and nerve wracking sets, thus winning his 6th slam at Fed-xpresss' expense. It was HARD TO TAKE for the then World no 2 who burst into uncontrollable tears right in front of greats like Laver himself. He would go on to equal Samp at Roland Garros and eclipse him at Wimbledon in that same year, but the next chance to further increase his title haul at Flushing Meadows (US OPEN) was thwarted by Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro (JMDP) who he beat soundly to set up this 2012 SF clash with old foe, NADAL. Roger went on to cement his place as possibly the greatest player of all time with a 16th GS title on the same court he fell short of the 14th. This time he made no mistake, destroying Andy Murray in straight sets. Although we could argue that the match was closer than what the scoreline read.

Federer has had an almost perfect ride at this year's OZ and he is riding on a 25 match winning streak which will give him all the confidence he requires to tame the BEAST in RAFAEL NADAL. Rafa on his part, hasn't been too far behind, only losing one set to Berdych in the QF on the way to this eagerly awaited clash.

It promises to me another SPELL-BINDING AND GRIPPING BATTLE between the most familiar FOES in Tennis these days.

Ohis Eboreime

follow me on twitter @ohiskaka1990

EL CLASICO NOW EL PEP-ICO????

El Grande Clasico, one of the most watched and anticipated match ups in World football has become shamefully one sided. Jose Mourinho, the Real Madrid tactical mind has done his best to make it a balanced affair, but all to no avail. The duel now shifts base to the Nou Camp for the 2ND time and the 5th meeting overall this season (3 at the Bernabeu)

Pep Guardiola has totally dominated meetings between both clubs (Barcelona and Real Madrid) and it is a situation that has not gone down well with the Madridistas (supporters of the capital club). The famous Santiago Bernabeu which was once a fortress has become more or less a playground for the 41 year old former Catalan midfield pearl. Last week AGAIN saw another victory for Barca and there is no looking beyond them later today.

Just like last week which was Guardiola's 41st birthday, today Xavi Hernandez, the architect of the Barca masterpiece turns 32. Though a late developer, he has risen to become the most feared and revered central midfielder in World football and he is the major reason why the Blaugrana have become so INVISIBLE in the last 3 or 4 years.

Never has Jose been so incensed by happenings such as this one. This daunting task is one he hasn't YET asserted his magical tactical ingenuity. It is widely believed that his Meregues are the best squad of players in World football, but the giants of Catalunya easily possess the BEST STARTING 11 on the PLANET. This is the biggest challenge. Even with the long term absences of Villa and Afellay, and also the non-participation of Pedro, the team has waxed stronger and stronger especially with the inclusions of Fabregas and Chile's Alexis Sanchez.

Last week's encounter was emmeshed in controversy as matches between them usually turn out these days. Kepler Lima aka Pepe was adjudged to have deliberately stood on the hand of Lionel Messi. This was condemned in its entirely by notable names in football such as former Barcelona chief, Joan Gaspart, former player and manager Carles Rexach, (who has advised the Portuguese not to feature in today's affair to avoid receiving the treatment meted out to former Barca and Portugal captain-Luis Figo 9 years ago), Man Utd's Wayne Rooney, etc. Pepe has become public enemy number 1 in Catalunya  and therefore will be massively jeered and scorned if he shows face.

It was an embarrassing enough situation for RM to take, not until we heard the worst that there was unrest in the squad prior to the league clash v Bilbao on Sunday, coupled with training ground bust ups involving the outspoken Mourinho, Captain Iker Casillas and his vice, Sergio Ramos. Rumours have it that it was San Iker who leaked the whole debacle to the popular Madrid based newspaper-Marca. All that has seemingly been put to bed by the coach and the players who dismissed suggestions that there were factions containing Spanish and Portuguese players in the squad and all other unprintable bruhaha. Some sections of the home crowd were also heard booing 'the special one' during the Sunday league game. People like Arbeloa and Ramos vowed to stand by the coach till death and underlined their ambitions to see the season to a successful climax. Mou also added that he was unperturbed by the jeers of the crowd as greater men had experienced such cacophony. Nothing less was expected.

Attention now shifts to the all important 2nd leg between both clubs and RM have it all to do if they are to overturn a 1-2 deficit. Mourinho has tried several defensive formations, all have proved abortive. He is not known for dwelling on one result and must go all out to attempt to wrest some dominance from Barcelona. In order to achieve the desired result, He must start with either OZIL OR KAKA, or the both of them. With the absence of the skillful and very intelligent Di Maria, Ozil can make the difference, while everyone knows what to expect from Ricky Kaka on his day.

I cannot possibly decide for Mourinho (who turns 49 tomorrow) on who to start and who not to, but considering the circumstances and importance of this encounter, I do not think PEPE or Benzema should be in the Starting 11. Benz is a better player than Pipita Higuain, but the Argentine is a smarter predator and his instinctiveness is going to be a vital contribution if RM harbour any intentions of qualifying for the next stage of the CDR (Copa Del Rey).

Unusually, the build up to today's fixture has been rather low key. Perhaps, everyone is fed up of accepting the same result over and over again. For the CLASICO to gain more respect, Jose and RM have to make a GAME of it and not just always submit to the SUPERPOWERS of Barcelona. Nevertheless, a duel of this significance always attracts millions of viewers and tonight will be no exception.

GOODLUCK REAL MADRID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Written by:
Ohireime P.Eboreime e.mail-ohebors@yahoo.com
follow me on twitter @ohiskaka1990

EL CLASICO: CHAPTER 4 ALREADY?????

There are not many FOOTBALL duels bigger than the ones involving REAL MADRID (RM) & BARCELONA (Barca) and isn't it FANTASTIC that we have another barely one month after the last one?? I disagree totally with San Iker (Iker Casillas) that the EL CLASICO is fast losing its shine because of the frequency of meetings. Perhaps, he is afraid of being destroyed again by Pep Guardiola's men. Who wouldn't?

It is not that it is pre-planned or fixed. Oh! far from it. Even the most pessimistic football fan cannot agree less that when Jose 'the special one' Mourinho arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu, he would most certainly challenge Barcelona on all fronts and he hasn't done badly in that regard. Although most will argue that since he became coach of the Merengues (Real Madrid), he has only won 1 out of a possible 8 games v Barcelona, drawing 3 and losing the rest. That is not something to write home about for a manager of his calibre and very impressive coaching stats.He has another chance to put things right when he faces the Catalans later today in the 1st leg of the CDR-Copa Del Rey at the Bernabeu.

The sanctuary of Real Madrid has become a playground for Guardiola and Barcelona in recent years, something that hasn't gone down well with followers of the Capital club. Since 2008, Guardiola has won every match (including the 6-2 bashing in 09-10) at the Bernabeu (except 2-this season's 1st leg SPANISH SUPER CUP tie, and the league game last season which ended in 2-2, and 1-1 draws respectively) and he will be very confident of coming away with YET another victory tonight especially on the occasion of his 41st birthday which coincidentally is on this day. The former Blaugrana midfielder has carved a niche for himself as the best manager in the World unarguably, but even by his lofty standards, he would be well aware that Mourinho is not far off and therefore wouldn't rest on his laurels. In Messi (13 goals in CLASICO meetings), Barcelona have in their armoury, a 3 time FIFA-BALON D'OR winner and certainly the best footballer in the WORLD today. He has managed a staggering 33 goals this season and we are only in January. He trails another goal machine and persistent rival, Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the PICHICHI (Highest goal scorer award in LA LIGA), but this is a different scenario entirely. But you ask yourself, what situation does Messi find difficult to control???none that I can remember in a Barcelona apparel since Pep took over. Ably supported by Messrs'  Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquets, Pique, Puyol, Mascherano, Dani Alves, Alexis Sanchez,etc... there is no looking past them to qualify to the semi-finals on the basis of the team sheet and previous results.

It is not often anyways that Jose Mourinho's teams go into games as UNDERDOGS...But this is one of the few or maybe the only sort of game that it occurs. Mou has tried a few formations in the past to stop Barca. Both Positive and Negative, all have proved exercises in FUTILITY. Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira aka Pepe has been deployed to man mark Messi..(something that only Esteban Cambiasso has done effectively), yet it has failed, not because Pepe didn't put in his best performance, but simply as a result of the little Argie's  immense capabilities on the ball. Jose will be aiming to use a different strategy this time, after the one he employed in December yielded no fruitful outcome. He will take some positives from the League game last month nevertheless. His boys played a very good match for 45 minutes or thereabout until they collapsed immediately after Marcelo's freak own goal. Players like Xabi Alonso, Kaka, Ozil, Di Maria, Higuain, Benzema and Lassana Diarra must put in their best shifts today. Alonso most especially must hold the game by the scruff of the neck and do well to dictate proceedings from the middle of the pack. Easier said than done, but there is no harm trying. Ronaldo has to also put on his scoring boots and contribute more all round as he mostly suffers from stage fright when he faces Barca. With only 1 outfield goal (the extra time winner in last year's CDR final) against the men from Catalunya, it hasn't been one of his favourite games obviously. Mourinho can try all he can to defend the Portuguese Magician and the World's most COMPLETE footballer...however, the only way he can bury his demons is to stand up and be counted tomorrow and that he MUST do for RM to have any chance whatsoever of taking a good lead into the 2ND LEG a week from today at the NOU CAMP.

Ohis Eboreime
follow me on Twitter @ohiskaka1990

LONDON V MANCHESTER:Episode 2. SUPER SUNDAY CLASSIC

Who would have thought that the 11-12 EPL season will be packed with so much enthralling and exciting events? A friend of mine calls it the 'STUFF OF DREAMS'. 2 or 3 years ago, no one would have called a match involving Tottenham and Manchester City a big game, but all that has changed.

The on-going battle between London (ARSENAL & SPURS) and Manchester (UNITED AND CITY) is a fierce one. I am not by any means taking Chelsea out of the equation, but sadly they do not play on SUPER SUNDAY, hence the unintentional omission. Earlier on in the season, MANCHESTER dominated the meetings against London clubs, with United annihilating Arsenal 8-2 at the Theatre of Dreams (OLD TRAFFORD) and City destroying Spurs 5-1 at White Hart Lane. Despite the fact that both London clubs have remarkably come to the fore after the embarrassing defeats, revenge will not be far from the minds of the players when they trader tackles on Sunday, the 22ND of January.

Since the disappointments suffered by WENGER AND REDKNAPP, they have completely transformed their respective teams from strugglers to serious contenders for the Premier League trophy, the latter being the more astonishing. Spurs have experienced a renaissance since their early season capitulations (refer to my article on the 'lilywhites' on OPOSTS) and sit just 5 points behind leaders Manchester City whom they face at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Arsenal on the other hand, are a little bit far off in 5th, but deserve eulogies for  their amazing turnaround in fortunes which saw them defeat Chelsea at the Bridge and pull off some magnificent results along the way. Although they are an almost unassailable 15 points behind leaders City, they would fancy a shot at the title they haven't won for 8 years now (since 2004) and what better way to do it, than to see off arch-rivals Manchester United  and consequently inflict more harm on the red army's title aspirations. This is more of a 6 pointer for ARSENAL AND SPURS  than for their Manchester counterparts, because anything other than an outright victory against the big two spells danger for any title ambitions they are nurturing.

Spurs go into their crunch tie v City in good form. Bar the recent draw v Wolves, they have done really well in previous games against West Brom and Everton (although the former was a below-par performance, but they still came out victorious) and will fancy their chances of stealing at least a point from the surprise pace setters. City on the other hand, have suffered a dip in form in recent weeks, no thanks to the absence of Midfield fulcrum, driver and director----YAYA TOURE (who is off to the African Cup of Nations), his elder brother, Kolo, and Vincent and Captain, Leader and defensive rock, Vincent Kompany (who was deservedly sent off in the FA CUP defeat v neighbours, MAN UTD). Mancini's wards have been dumped out of the FA CUP by Biggest headache-MUFC, lost the 1st leg of the Carling Cup at home to Liverpool, amongst others. Although they got back to winning ways on Monday at the DW stadium v Wigan, it wasn't a vintage City performance....certainly not one they would be proud of , but that's what makes the difference when awards are handed out and Titles are hoisted at the end of the season. Kompany and the Toure brothers will sit this one out too, but the Etihad landlords will be buoyed by the fact that the effulgent David Silva, arguably the best EPL player this season, is available for selection. The nimble and quick-witted Spanish PARAGON has the rare ability to decide a match on his own and his contributions will be telling on Sunday. Spurs also bring some terrific footballers to the Etihad on Sunday. Luka Modric (tired of paying tributes to his immense talents), Scott Parker, Rafa Van Der Vaart, Aaaron Lennon, Gareth Bale, Emma Adebayor all have the quality the swing any match in their favour. The return of Michael Dawson also provides the much needed boost in defense, although the last time he played against City, it was a whitewash.

Arsenal's Robin Van Persie is head and shoulders above any other striker in EUROPE at the MOMENT (Mario Gomez, Di Natale, Ibrahimovic, El Matador Cavani & KJ Huntelaar inclusive + Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are not strikers in my opinion) and he has the records to show for his invaluable contributions to the Arsenal cause in the last 365 days or thereabouts. He has been almost IMPECCABLE. 22 goals this season (18 in the EPL) and a handful of assists goes a long way to buttress his exceptional and meteoric rise to the EXCLUSIVE LEAGUE of the World's most gifted footballers. He is certainly the danger man on Sunday when they come face to face with a Manchester United team that haven't hit top gear yet, despite victories in their last 2 games. The Gunners will look to put behind back to back successive away defeats to Fulham and Swansea when the Red Devils come calling.

Prior to the FA cup tie involving both Manchester Clubs, Fergie again pulled one of the surprises of the Century, unleashing PAUL 'THE GINGER MAESTRO' Scholes. The 2nd coming of a man Zizou described as one of the best footballers of his generation, came as a huge shock to everyone that follows the beautiful game. Noel Gallagher, former MCFC player exclaimed that it was 'LAUGHABLE' seeing Scholsy return to active soccer. However, greatness is in-born, and everlasting....as if he needed to prove the likes of Noel wrong, he opened the floodgates at OLD TRAFFORDMUFC goal and 1st on his 2nd coming. That has kept a lot of doubters and cynics quiet at least for the time being. Arsenal had earlier on , completed the loan signing of a certain Thierry Henry, who in my view is the best footballer ever to star in the English top flight. The french god came back to a surrounding in which he had etched his great name in the sands of time. 226 phenomenal goals don't come everyday for a footballer. He is so revered in North London that after only 8 meritorious years of service, he has a statue erected in his honour...WELL DESERVED. He followed the laid down script by coming on 2 Mondays ago, and scoring his 227th goal and 1st on his 2nd coming to take the gooners to the 4th round of the FA CUP at the expense of a Leeds team who gave their all, until the KING OF HIGHBURY came along to render their efforts irrelevant. He was in a wee bit of trouble after the Swansea game....He allegedly had an altercation with a fan...but that has since been swept under the carpet. Why not????It is the LEGENDARY TITI and am  in full support of it. Rio Ferdinand has been all over the news ranting and shouting to whoever has ears, that he is chuffed at the return of both Scholsy and Henry who he described as 2 of the 5 players he rates as his all time best campaigners in EPL HISTORY. He will have to be at the very top of his game to stop not only RVP, but the MASTER GOALSCORER HIMSELF (HENRY).

Manchester United of course always possess the best footballers money can buy. In Wayne Rooney, they have in their ranks, the best striker of 2011 (according to FIFA) and on his day, he is UNPLAYABLE. An inconsistent goalscorer, YES....BUT he remains United's arrowhead, leader and most important player. If SAF and his soldiers harbour any hopes of taking anything away from the Emirates after 90 minutes, then WAZZA (Rooney's nickname) must bring his A game.United have other players who can decide the game. Players like Antonio Valencia, Old war horse Giggs, Nani (when he is well), and Michael Carrick all have it in them to ensure victory for the red devils.

Whatever happens at the end of the day, the games (if not marred by annoying decisions of the officials) promise to be really INTENSE AND CAPTIVATING.

Ohireime Eboreime
follow me on twitter @ohiskaka1990

THE LILYWHITES ARE MARCHING ON....can they CONQUER?

Forget the recent poll taken by Sky Sports which made them the favourites to win the 11-12 EPL, Tottenham Hotspur is a club on a mission. After 3 years, Harry Redknapp has taken the club from under achievers to UCL debutants, League cup runners-up and most recently EPL title contenders.  No one would have predicted that Spurs (as they are affectionately called) would be challenging for the title, especially because of their position in the Barclay's PL table when Harry took over. Then Sevilla boss, Juande Ramos came with an impressive track record as a manager, after leading the Andalusians to 2 consecutive UEFA CUP triumphs, the UEFA SUPER CUP, amongst others. But he unfortunately couldn't replicate his coaching ingenuity at North London and was consequently shown the door. Redknapp came in with a good reputation also, after ending Portsmouth long awaited wait for a trophy with the 08 FA Cup. He took Spurs from relegation battlers to 8th position at the end of the season. A run which earned him glowing praises from football pundits, managers and players alike. The following season, the lilywhites defied the odds and qualified for the UEFA Champions League in style. They defeated fellow contenders, Manchester City in a make or mar game all thanks to a Peter Crouch finish. They went on to qualify for the group phase proper after dismissing young boys of Switzerland in a two legged tie. Spurs continued to break barriers in the football world, reaching the quarter-finals, after defeating 7 time winners and perennial UCL contenders, AC MILAN in the round of 16. However, Jose Mourinho's REAL MADRID weren't in the mood to dole out any favours, and thus consequently sent the North London club packing in the QF. Harry's boys couldn't repeat their 09-10 season achievements and could only finish 5th in the 10-11 campaign.

This season (11-12) was set to be a promising one. Harry and Daniel Levy (Spurs Chairman) successfully fended off persistent interest from Chelsea for Luka Modric despite the unending press talk and several alleged bids ranging from 25 million to 40 million pounds.  The LEVY-REDKNAPP  combo was paying dividends and Spurs fans were appreciative of their resolve to keep the Croatian midfield gem at White Hart Lane (WHL) for at least this season. They believed they could mount a serious challenge for a CL spot once again. Who could blame them? They had seen their team fall short of expectations many a time. Not for want of trying.....The Lane has produced and seen great players from Argentine magician, OSSIE ARDILES to David Ginola to Jurgen Klinsmann, Also great players like Gary Lineker, Les Ferdinand, Teddy Sheringham, Gus Poyet and Sol Campbell...but the landlords haven't really hit that imperious form that was necessary to put them among the elite of English football............................................................UNTIL NOW.

Who would have guessed at the beginning of the season that the lilywhites would be mentioned in the same breath as MAN UTD AND MAN CITY, talk more of being SERIOUS TITLE CONTENDERS. It has been a dream run after the 1st two games which saw them ship in 8 goals (3 at Old Trafford and 5 at WHL vs Leaders, Manchester City). 18 games after the 5-1 mauling, Spurs have only lost 1 game----that very annoying and displeasing match at the Britania v Stoke which is famously described as the 'FAILINGS OF FOY'. In truth, the referee had a big part to play in that defeat, but so have match officials also contributed to the results of other matches. That by the way, the North London giants have won 14 out of the remaining 17 (only Swansea, Newcastle and Chelsea have stopped them from winning this season) to sit comfortably in third----albeit on goals difference behind MUFC (2ND) & MCFC(worthy leaders). The former being the most painful. Perhaps they have been propelled by Arsenal's JACK WILSHERE who boldly stuck out his neck on twitter that Spurs wouldn't finish above Arsenal, even going further to place a bet which prompted a response and counter bet from SPURSS' JERMAINE DEFOE.

After losing their first two games to both Manchester Clubs, Harry and Levy secured the services of EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR (on loan from MCFC) and SCOTT PARKER (from West Ham) and could afford to ship out Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios to Stoke. It has been a jolly good ride from then on as the midfield partnership of PARKER AND MODRIC is arguably the most efficient in  EUROPEAN FOOTBALL. Aided by the exceptional brilliance of Dutch Technician, RAFA VAN DER VAART, the breathtaking pace of Aaron Lennon and the fantastic ability of Gareth Bale, the team has gone on to prove the critics wrong and stake a claim for the much coveted EPL crown cum May 2012. What amazes everyone is their strength in depth...DEP CAPT and defense stalwart, Michael Dawson has only just returned from Injury. Captain and MR 'ONE GAME A WEEK', LEDLEY KING cannot play every game due to his dodgy knee. Jermaine Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Steven Pienaar, Niko Kranjcar, and Sandro (who has only been in the team recently because of Lennon's absence through injury) are only good enough for the sub(s) bench these days. Harry has set up his team so enviably well. 40 year old Brad Friedel defied the years to displace error prone Heurelho Gomes as the NO 1 goaltender, Kyle Walker has deposed Vedran Corluka as the club's regular right back, and Younes Kaboul has been a rock at the back for Redknapp this term. Even without Tom Huddlestoneliywhites have performed admirably well in their quest to rewrite the history books and maintain their current position as the top team of not only North London, but London as a whole.

It is scary when you watch them play. The way they move the ball, change positions, attack opponents and defend solidly. 8 clean sheets in 20 games is a testament to the fact that the defence is water tight and with the diminutive Scott PARKER dictating things in the middle of the pack, sitting just in front of the back four impressively, there are more clean sheets in the offing. Many sports writers and football watchers were of the opinion that they wouldn't function just as well without PARKER,that has been put to bed with their recent performances v WEST BROM AND EVERTON. As indispensable as the English midfield trojan is, there are times where he would be unavailable and others have to step up to replace him. Jake Livermore has done that considerably well this season.  Although it is yet to be seen how they can fare against the big boys when the time comes. With Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea to play away, there is a lot of work to be done before they can LEGITIMATELY CLAIM TO BE REAL TITLE CONTENDERS

I my opinion,. the most important player for TOTTENHAM is LUKA MODRIC. The 26 year old football wizard is unfairly criticised in some quarters as overrated because of his assists to game ratio. I don't agree at all. In times past, Levy would have sold him to any club who could pay as much as Chelsea were offering in the summer. We saw that with Berbatov and Carrick. But he stuck to his guns that the Croatian midfield god is going nowhere and he was RIGHT to do so. I don not think SIR ALEX FERGUSON will let Rooney go for even 70 million pounds right now, neither do I think XAVI HERNANDEZ will be allowed to leave Barca for any amount. That is the extent to which Modric is highly rated in my eyes. He is everything you want in a professional player. Harry can't say enough when he is pouring encomiums on the Croat because you just don;t know where to start. Another like him is Germany and Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger. These kind of players only come once every CENTURY and if you are FORTUNATE AND PRIVILEGED to have them, NEVER EVER  let them go until they are 45 or without legs. MODRIC epitomizes the DREAM PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER. He typifies every good thing you want a sportsman to POSSESS. He is just IRREPLACEABLE. Simply the best footballer in the EPL in my humble and honest opinion. He can do everything in that midfield-play as a trequartista (what the south Amercians call ENGANCHE)---just like Juan Roman Riquelme, he can also fit in well as a deep lying playmaker, can be a defensive midfielder when he wants to or is told to do so and can play as a winger. WHAT A PLAYER, WHAT A MAN, WHAT A GENIUS. If Spurs want to ACHIEVE GREATNESS, then LUKA MODRIC is the most important piece of the JIGSAW which MUST not fall apart.

OHIS EBOREIME
Follow me on twitter @ohiskaka1990