Real Madrid star Luka Modric was yet again an unused substitute as his side won 3-0 at Girona yesterday, and this broke a personal record for him.
It was the first time the midfielder had been left out of the team for consecutive games, excluding injuries and suspensions, since 2012, when he first arrived at the club.
The 38-year-old signed a one-year deal to continue his stay at the club in the summer, but has not featured much this season.
Worries over Modric?
Modric’s lack of game time has been highlighted by the Spanish press, with many keen to make a big deal out of his omission, and he has even been linked with a move away.
However, despite all the noise, Carlo Ancelotti will not be concerned at all about the midfielder’s situation.
At 38, Modric is the oldest player in the squad, and Real Madrid’s midfield is currently the busiest area of the squad.
Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz arrived in the summer, to join a roster containing Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga as well as Modric, making a starting spot extremely difficult to keep.
The right occasions
There is simply no need for Modric to be playing regularly, and Real Madrid’s thrashing by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final last season showed that he is no longer capable of starting alongside Kroos in midfield.
With both veterans now physically inferior to the younger options in the squad, neither have started regularly, with Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga and Bellingham now the first-choice four.
Modric and Kroos started ahead of Tchouameni in the derby against Atletico Madrid last weekend, and it ended in disaster, with Modric substituted at half-time and Real Madrid losing 3-1. With the other midfielders, and Bellingham in particular thriving, it is simply the case that Modric has fallen down the pecking order.
It looks likely that his time at the club will come to an end this summer, but he will still be useful in certain situations, and could start in Champions League matches if Tchouameni and Camavinga are alongside him to add physicality to the middle.
There is no need for Modric, Ancelotti or Real Madrid fans to panic over Modric, and with results positive without him in the side, there is little need to shoehorn him back in.