Maradona and Dunga have both seen their national teams’ exploits stunted in South Africa and, as seen in the papers immediately following Argentina and Brazil’s exits, the debate about great players not making great managers resurfaces.
But the truth is a little more convoluted. We knew from the outset that Maradona was not a good manager – his squad selections, player omissions and frequently changing tactics have been strenuously well documented. His function was to inspire rather than instruct and many have already commented that appointing him solely for the World Cup (instead of during qualification) may have proved a better circumstance. But these points are now moot.
Dunga has an entire nation’s history weighing down on what was, otherwise, a very good record as manager. The truth is despite every victory there were always rumblings that the manner of Dunga’s victories was too far removed from the tenets of flair football that Brazil’s public demand. Tactically speaking however, Dunga repeatedly showcased an astute managerial mind and his team became frighteningly efficient – we should also not forget that it was a couple of errors that set in motion the Dutch fight back.
The most glaring examples of great players becoming great managers can be found in a German and a Dutchman. Franz Beckenbauer managed to win the World Cup as a player and make two World Cup finals as a manager (winning it as head coach in 1990 against Argentina). His managerial career boasted a German title (1993-94) and UEFA Cup (1995-96) with Bayern Munich and a French league title with Marseille in 1991. Johan Cruyff is largely responsible for the brand of football so widely enjoyed at Barcelona and reached spectacular heights with the 1990s dream team. So great players have and probably will continue to make an impression in the managerial world. A more interesting and relevant debate than whether great players make great managers is whether past footballers, in general, are better equipped at management. Jose Mourinho, himself not a celebrated player, has an open stance on the matter:
“I believe that to be on the pitch as a player can be very important, but it is not compulsory. It is a bit like studying or going to university. It does not mean that you will be a success, but it does give you an advantage.”
Managers such as Arsene Wenger, Rafa Benitez, and Mourinho did not play at the top level in any distinguished fashion. Yet Fabio Capello on the other hand has spoken in the past about the intimate understanding past players – especially very good players – have with their squad and the dynamics of real life play. The argument isn’t simply academia vs. experience, though; Capello himself supplemented the talents he had as a player by coaching at the famed Coverciano school in Italy. And whilst the list of good players who made bad managers is continuously added to, we overlook the circumstances of many considered ‘flops’. The difficulty for a manager is that they’re only judged on their players’ performances rather than a method that we, as an interested third party, can discern.
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If Dunga is added to the list of successful players who couldn’t make the transition to management I don’t think it is wholly warranted considering his record and tactical decisions. But the route to becoming a manager (and thus a ‘great’ manager) is not specified – as with a lot of aspects to the game luck and timing as well as talent become important factors.
Anthony Pilkington but his Old Trafford nightmare firmly behind him to score the Premier League’s quickest goal of the season as Norwich ran out deserved winners beating Swansea 3-1 to record a third win in four games.
It took the former Huddersfield midfielder just 49 seconds to break the deadlock at Carrow Road with Russell Martin scoring his first Premier League goal before Danny Graham pulled one back in a frantic first quarter of an hour. Pilkington added a third mid-way through the second half to guarantee victory and make it a fourth winless game on the road for the Swans and keep the Canaries in the top half. Brendan Rodgers promised fans that his side would be more competitive away from home but their plans were foiled as Pilkington struck within the first minute of the game. The impressive Steve Morison, who was a thorn in Swansea’s side all afternoon, headed Elliott Bennett’s cross into the path of Pilkington who lashed the ball past Michael Vorm from close range.
Paul Lamberts side couldn’t have asked for a better start and they doubled their lead nine minutes later with Martin finding space in the penalty area before glancing home David Fox’s quality free kick delivery. That seemed to spark Swansea into life and record signing Graham halved the deficit on 12 minutes with his second goal in consecutive games. Scott Sinclair strolled into the Canaries penalty area and despite being brought down by Bennett still managed to poke the ball across for Graham to convert. That was as good as it got for the visitors as Norwich continued to dominate with Pilkington going close to increasing their advantage before Morison was denied superbly by Vorm.
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The half time whistle killed the Canaries momentum and Sinclair almost took advantage whistling a low 25-yard drive wide of John Ruddy’s goal. Norwich responded by restoring their two goal lead with Pilkington grabbing his second turning in Bradley Johnson’s cross from close range. Despite their best efforts the Swan’s just couldn’t get out of first gear with Sinclair trying his luck from range again before substitute Stephen Dobbie saw his shot blocked by Marc Tierney with his headed follow up finding the arms of Ruddy. Despite Lamberts side were never under threat as they continued their impressive form in the top flight.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp could have been forgiven for cursing his luck after the talismanic trio of Gareth Bale, Luka Modrić and Rafael van der Vaart were all ruled out of action within quick succession. With Tottenham’s forwards struggling to find the net this season, Redknapp has had to rely upon his midfield for goals, and the aforementioned trio have contributed 25 between them in all competitions.
Many expected January signing Steven Pienaar to mitigate the losses of Bale and van der Vaart, but instead, Niko Kranjčar, a man seemingly headed for the White Hart Lane exit last month, has come to Tottenham’s rescue.
Kranjčar came on as a late substitute against Bolton Wanderers last week and scored a stunning injury-time winner, before striking a superb volley to secure all three points for Spurs against Sunderland on Saturday. The Croat had only made four league appearances for the side prior to his late introduction against Bolton Wanderers. Redknapp himself has been quick to praise the efforts and attitude of the former Portsmouth man.
Speaking after Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers, Redknapp said: “He’s continued to work hard and show the right attitude, continued to train even after training, do his sprints, his running, spends time shooting every day and generally shows a great attitude. He’s not one of the boys who throws the towel in and spits his dummy out when he’s left out of the team, he’s the exact opposite to that.”
In addition to scoring crucial winning goals, Kranjčar’s reinstatement to Tottenham’s starting line-up has shown that Redknapp has other tactical approaches to call upon when certain first choice players are unavailable. The side’s success over the past year has relied heavily upon the natural width and searing pace provided by Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale.
Kranjčar, bereft of the pace and mobility bestowed upon Bale, instead relies upon his guile and vision to create chances, and drifts infield far more frequently than the Welshman. The Croat provides his manager with a valuable option when opposing full-backs have successfully neutralised Bale.
Indeed, Kranjčar’s recent form has lead Redknapp to consider utilising his talents in conjunction with those of Bale. “I could always stick Niko somewhere else if Gareth was fit because Niko deserves his place in the team,” he said.
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In an age when players frequently think only of themselves, it is so refreshing to see a player of Kranjčar’s quality conducting himself in such a professional and selfless manner. One need only look at Fernando Torres’ behaviour last month to see an example of the archetypal modern footballer.
The timing of Kranjčar’s return to the team (and return to form) is indicative of Tottenham’s excellent strength in depth. Indeed, the Croat played a key part in the club’s successful bid for Champions League qualification last season, most notably scoring the winner against Stoke City last March. Only a fool would bet against him having a similar impact this season.
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Some say it was a pointless miracle, but the truth is that Blackpool winning promotion to the Premiership is the best thing that could have ever happened for football. If the game is to escape from the dungeon of debt in which it is trapped fans, players and chairmen alike must embrace what Blackpool have done, use them as an example and then stick to their methods.
This past domestic season will be remembered as the one where the real world finally caught up with football. Portsmouth are still in administration (according to reports Palace could have escaped it), Chester City are out of business and clubs such as Hull, Preston and Southend have accounts that resemble the red sea. However, the recent Championship Playoff Final could represent the parting of the ways for the future of football.
In some ways the match between Blackpool and Cardiff was bigger than just a cup final. To many it was Holloway versus Ridsdale (the worst football chairman of all time according to one recent poll), calculated versus erratic and football versus selfishness. For Ian Holloway and Blackpool represent everything that is still great about the game whilst the way Cardiff have been run in recent times is the epitome of everything that is wrong with it.
Blackpool winning promotion was not a fluke and the reason for this is somewhat simple and much overlooked- it’s because they have good players and an intelligent manager. Brett Ormerod and Jason Euell have made 397 Premiership appearances between them and both played critical roles in Blackpool’s promotion this season, whilst Charlie Adam proved his worth by scoring 19 goals from midfield. However, the real trick is the way in which the team has been assembled and how they have gone about their play. As we all know good management is generally defined as creating the maximum amount of revenue with a minimum amount of expenditure whilst providing an atmosphere in which everyone works for each other and performs to their full potential. To say that Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has carried this out to a great extent would be an understatement. Blackpool’s record signing is Charlie Adam- bought for £500k from Rangers last summer and this campaign they have had an average crowd of just 8611 with only three stands up in their stadium- yet this season they still beat a host of teams with twice the amount of resources.
Compare this to Cardiff. If moving stadiums wasn’t expensive enough during a global recession they also chose to make their promotion bid with players on very high wages- Michael Chopra, Mark Kennedy, Mark Hudson and Jay Boothroyd have all played Premiership football recently and would not settle for low salaries, whilst local boy Joe Ledley has seen his income skyrocket in recent seasons as a way to keep him at the club. The sums simply do not add up. There is currently not enough money being generated in the global economy for a medium sized business such as Cardiff City Football Club to support this kind of infrastructure.
Theoretically Cardiff should have won the playoff final as they do have a better squad than Blackpool and most of their players are in the prime time of their careers- Ian Holloway even stressed this before and after the game. However, the fact that they didn’t demonstrates to Championship clubs everywhere that they can achieve their goals whilst living within their means- if they employ someone who can bring the art of good management to their football club. The brilliance of Blackpool’s season is typified by the way in which Holloway has managed to get the very best out of players at different stages of their careers. The likes of Jason Euell and Brett Ormerod are approaching the end their journey as footballers whilst the likes of Neil Eardley, Charlie Adam and Alex Baptiste are just getting started.
Ian Holloway managed to get the most out of what he had by finding a flexible 4-3-3 system in which all his players could blend together and perform to the maximum of their ability whilst remaining balanced and entertaining, all of which was done on a shoestring budget. Consequently Blackpool now face a lucrative future regardless if they get 100 points or ten next season, whilst Cardiff scour the world for critical investment.
There are many blueprints for success in football as different clubs have shown throughout the years. However, if the beautiful game is to escape the horrors of debt and destruction then the methods shown by Ian Holloway and Blackpool this past season are the ones that now must be followed.
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PS- News coming out reveals that Crystal Palace may have been saved after an agreement was reached at the 11th hour between the CPFC 2010 consortium (headed by Steve Parish and Martin Long) and Lloyds Bank, regarding an anti embarrassment clause on Selhurst Park. This is the second time in 10 years Palace have chosen the Cardiff approach and the second time in ten years that Palace have escaped liquidation by the skin of their teeth. Should the CVA be completed later this week, confirming Palace’s survival, let this be a message from the whole of football to the CPFC 2010 consortium to take the Blackpool approach.
Sir Alex Ferguson is unhappy with his Manchester United team after they were pegged back to draw 3-3 against Basel at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, and has called his side’s collapse a wake up call.
The Premier League champions took a 2-0 lead into the half-time break, but found themselves 3-2 down in the dying minutes, only for Ashley Young to rescue his side with a last minute equaliser.
The Scottish coach was clearly unhappy with not picking up the three points, especially after being in such a dominant position.
“I think we were careless,” he told Sky Sports.
“They made three or four openings in the first half and the lack of concentration cost us. We threw the game away. [I told the players] to finish the game off because of the opportunities they created in the first-half.
“It’s a wake-up call, in many ways. But, to lose three goals at home, the defence and midfield need to be better than that in terms of concentration. If you lapse, the quality in the Champions League can make you suffer,” he stated.
Antonio Valencia was penalised for a foul on Marco Streller, gifting the Swiss side a penalty in the second half, but Ferguson has questioned this decision.
“I don’t think it was a penalty,” he said. “You can see quite clearly that Valencia won the ball. It’s a poor decision as far as I’m concerned.
“But there’s a great character at this club and it showed again tonight,” he concluded.
United now host Norwich at Old Trafford on Saturday, but will be concerned that their form in Europe does not match their excellent domestic start.
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Real Madrid forward Emmanuel Adebayor has insisted he’s not a trouble maker, despite disagreements with previous managers and fellow players.
Adebayor has enjoyed a fine start to his time at Real making scoring two goals in three appearances.
But the Togolese striker has made positive starts elsewhere before falling out with colleagues – most recently at Manchester City.
He had a public dispute with team-mate and Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure which resulted in the pair being pulled apart in training.
“I’m not a troublemaker at all. I’m a very nice guy and I love enjoying my life,” said Adebayor, who is likely to feature when Real Madrid face Espanyol in Barcelona on Sunday.
“I love enjoying myself. I love laughing a lot. I love playing. I love joking. That’s how I see life. Sometimes, you know, we are all human beings, sometimes it happens that even with me and my mother we don’t find an agreement.”
“That’s part of life. That for me is normal. So, I’m not a troublemaker and I would never fight against anybody.”
Latest reports have suggested the 26-year-old’s loan deal will become permanent with City expected to make a significant loss on the ?25 million they paid for him.
Despite only making 34 appearances at Eastlands the former Arsenal striker scored 15 goals.
He’s not the only player to move from Manchester to Madrid either – and Adebayor is already enjoying linking up with former United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
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“I think Ronaldo is, yeah, a strong player. I have a chance to train with him now,” Adebayor said.
“I can guarantee you how he works every day. He’s always in the gym working to be very fit. To push him to the floor is not easy, so whenever he got on the floor I think he got a lot of kicks.
“I think Ronaldo got a lot of kicks. But that’s the game and I think he will come back stronger and score a lot of goals for Madrid as he’s doing at the moment.”
Villa have done well over the years to maintain their ever-present Premier League status, especially considering they’ve endured a couple of difficult relegation battles in their history.
Last year proved tough watching at Villa Park though as they narrowly avoided the drop under Alex McLeish in what was possibly the worst season in the club’s history.
Given the chance, Villa’s fans would probably name last year’s starting XI as the worst to ever take to the field wearing the claret and blue, but looking back over the years, some names stand out that would be enough to make everyone in the Holte End shed a little tear.
They will hope Paul Lambert uses his cash a little more wisely than some of his predecessors and builds a side much more worthy of turning out at Villa Park than these lot.
Here is the worst XI signings made by Villa during the Premier League era:
Click on Villa Park below to see the Aston Villa Worst Transfer XI
Welcome to my first ever Wolves Football FanCast Show Blogcast. As FanCast ‘guru’ David Evans has made the schoolboy error of booking a holiday during the football season he has left the job of bringing your weekly Wolves FanCast update in my hands! In this week’s show I will be bringing you the latest Wolves news, paying tribute to Wolves legend Frank Munro, reviewing the League game against Fulham and the Carling Cup tie against Northampton and, finally, previewing Saturday’s ‘Top of the Table’ clash with local rivals Aston Villa.
We start with the latest Wolves news. As the end of the transfer window draws closer it has been very quiet on the transfer front with both Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle once again linked with moves away from Molineux. In terms of departures from Molineux reports suggest that Stefan Maierhofer is on the verge of sealing a £1mil move back to Austria with Red Bull Salzburg. With Andy Keogh having already joined Leeds United on loan, Wolves actively looking to sell Sam Vokes and Leigh Griffiths linked with a loan move to Scotland this will leave only Kevin Doyle, Steven Fletcher and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake as Wolves’ senior strikers. Mick McCarthy has indicated that Wolves will not be looking to add to the squad before the transfer window slams shut, but if all these rumoured deals do go through I can see a back up striker arriving at Molineux. Let’s just hope that if someone does come in they will be an improvement on the Marcus Bent ‘experiment’ of last season!
On Thursday Wolves announced that Wolves legend Frank Munro passed away at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack. Munro joined Wolves in 1968 and made 371 appearances and scored 19 times in the Old Gold and Black. During his time at Molineux Munro was part of the 1972 UEFA Cup Finalists, the 1974 League Cup Winners and the 1977 Second Division Winners. Having never seen Frank Munro play I can only reflect on what others have said about him as a player. In Peter Lansley’s excellent book ‘Running with Wolves’ Munro’s performance in the 1974 League Cup Final is described as “a ball-playing centre-half in his prime.” The fact that Frank Munro continued to attend Molineux after he retired, he was present at the Blackburn game last season, shows that we have lost a true Wolves legend.
On Sunday 21st August 2011 Wolverhampton Wanderers, albeit briefly, sat atop the Barclays Premier League. We may only be two games into the 2011/2012 season but I am confident in saying that all Wolves fans would have basked in the glory that the excellent 2-0 win over Fulham gave us! An unchanged Wolves line-up brushed aside a Fulham side who had kept 10 clean sheets in their last 13 games with first half goals from Kevin Doyle and Matt Jarvis. The thing that impressed me most about this result was the professional nature with which Wolves closed out the game in the 2nd half in order to secure the three points. Apart from a goal saving tackle from Stephen Ward after a good save from Hennessey Fulham caused the Wolves defence minimal problems. This was mainly down to the way in which Roger Johnson marshalled the defence and dealt with the threats posed by Dempsey, Andy Johnson and Dembele. The signing of Johnson looks like it has reinvigorated Christophe Berra who I thought looked a lot more assured than last season. Karl Henry, a constant target for my criticism, looked a much more effective player now he is no longer burdened by the captaincy with him regularly breaking up play to begin Wolves attacks. In the wide areas both Hunt and Jarvis worked hard to support their full backs whilst also causing plenty of problems in offensive areas, with Jarvis grabbing the 2nd goal. It was up front that the most impressive performances came in the shape of Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher. Fletcher deserved a goal for the way in which he held the ball up and won numerous headers against both Hangeland and Senderos, but it was Doyle who grabbed his first goal of the season after a typically hard-working performance. Here is what you thought of the game;
Twitter
Richjp21; wolves lead the premier tell me its not a dream
cdmPSU17; O’Hara was absolute class, set the tone for everyone else. Top of the league, and we sure looked the part. Up the Wolves!
JPhilipShaw; Wolves top of Premier League. Not there today due to more important engagement but must enjoy this while it lasts.
Shaunkynaston; Great performance- as a regular critizer of Henry I must say I was impressed with him today.
Shaunkynaston; The confidence they are playing with will only add goals and see them secure a mid table position this season.
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John Bradley; Silky skills, from the Wolves?! Not getting carried away at all but that was like watching Brazil at times! Happy days.
Martin Crawford; Played great today, great possession game in 2nd half. This team has great potential. Let’s hope they stay healthy.
A couple of seasons ago Mick McCarthy said “Just because we’re a Premiership club, doesn’t make us a Premiership side”. The performance on Sunday Wolves are finally beginning to demonstrate that they ‘belong’ in the Premier League.
On Tuesday night Wolves travelled to Sixfields for a potential banana skin of a Carling Cup tie against Northampton Town, a team that knocked Liverpool out of the same competition last year. Mick McCarthy rang the changes as the starting line up was completely different to the one that started the game against Fulham, including a Wolves debut for rookie left back Jamie Reckford. This was an opportunity for the ‘back-up’ players to show what they can do, and boy did they do that as Wolves cruised to a 4-0 win. A brace from Ebanks-Blake, a screamer from Milijas and a goal for Sam Vokes saw Wolves brush aside their League Two opposition. If you cast your mind back only a year to the same round of the same competition a Wolves second string, featuring players such as Milijas, Stearman, Zubar, Dave Edwards and Elokobi, struggled to an extra-time win over Southend. Contrast that with the professional performance of last night and it shows how far Wolves have come in the past year. Any one of the senior players on show last night demonstrated that Wolves now have quality strength in depth. Milijas, Kightly, Ebanks-Blake, De Vries, Hammill and others are ready should injuries, suspensions and loss of from affect any of the current starting XI. Once again it is the professional nature of the Wolves performance that impresses me the most. Here is what you thought of the game;
Lexi17wwfc_xXx; couldn’t have asked for a better start to the ssn very professional confident approach to games, our prem quality really starting to shine through now…Yes its Early days but think we have every right to b optimistic about the ssn ahead!
Jmeek_20; WHAT A STRIKE FROM NENAD #milijasisgod
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Wayne Brown; reserves look fresh and ready
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Martin Crawford; Love that it was all from the bench…this club is moving up!
Matthew Hobbs; It keeps the confidence sky high!
The final part of this weeks blogcast is to look ahead to Wolves’ first local derby of the season, the ‘Top of the table clash’ with Aston Villa. Last season Wolves went to Villa Park and secured an excellent 1-0 victory thanks to a first-half Matt Jarvis strike. Aston Villa, under former Blues manager Alex McLeish, and Wolves have both played Blackburn and Fulham this season with Villa drawing away at Fulham and beating Rovers 3-1 at home which has put them in 4th place at this early stage of the season. Villa are currently in a period of transition having sold key players over the summer in the form of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. However, Wolves will have to be wary of the prolific Darren Bent, the exciting Marc Albrighton and the excellent Shay Given. I envisage that Wolves will be unchanged from the team that started against Fulham but, as the Northampton game has shown, we have a number of options from the bench should the game not be going our way. Travelling to Villa Park and continuing our 100% record will be a difficult ask and if I was given a point now I would take it. My prediction for this game is 1-1 with Steven Fletcher grabbing the goal for Wolves.
I hope you have enjoyed my first Wolves Football FanCast Show Blogcast, hopefully you will join us next week as Dave returns and normal service resumes with a podcast reviewing the Aston Villa game. Please also remember that there are plenty of sites to continue your Wolves debate on; MolineuxMix.co.uk, Wolves-Mad.co.uk, Wolveswebfansclub.co.uk and for everything else football related FootballFancast.co.uk.
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West Ham came within seconds of climbing out of the relegation zone but ended bottom of the table after a 2-2 draw at Everton on Saturday.
Avram Grant’s men took the lead through Jonathan Spector in the first half and defended stoically until substitute Diniyar Bilyaletdinov equalised with 15 minutes to go.
Frederic Piquionne’s elation at scoring what he thought was the winner was wiped away by a red card for a second bookable offence. But the goal still looked like a decisive one, which would have lifted the Hammers out of the bottom three.
But, with seconds remaining, Marouane Fellaini ensured the points would be shared with a composed finish in injury time.
The first half was equally balanced with both teams going close.
But as it seemed the home side would take control of the game, Spector arrived in the area to score his first Premier League goal of the season.
After some neat work from Mark Noble and a composed pull back from Luis Boa Morte, Spector was on hand to smash the ball past Tim Howard to silence the home crowd.
Everton’s players were booed off the pitch after a dismal first half performance. But West Ham’s inability to add to their narrow lead kept the hosts in the game.
Everton broke through 13 minutes from time in emphatic fashion after Fellaini nodded the ball into Bilyaletdinov’s path who drilled past Robert Green to set up a dramatic finish.
Just as it seemed the onus was on the home side to get the win, Wayne Bridge crossed for Piquionne who capped a superb performance with a glancing header into the Everton net.
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The sheen was taken off the moment by the goal scorer’s sending off – Piquionne had been booked minutes before the goal for an off the ball incident. Peter Walton then gave the striker his marching orders for an over-zealous celebration.
West Ham’s opportunity to escape the relegation zone was snatched away by Fellaini in the 90th minute.
Jack Rodwell headed the ball into the towering Belgian’s path who neatly finished to save a point for his side.
The Sun state that Tottenham star Luka Modric is ready to hand-in a transfer request in the next seven days.
The diminutive playmaker represented Croatia at Euro 2012 this summer, but with Slaven Bilic’s men being eliminated from the tournament in the group stages the player’s thoughts are believed to have switched to his club future.
Modric handed in a transfer request last summer, but had this rejected by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy as Chelsea offers were refused.
However, after the White Hart Lane club missed out on the Champions League for 2012-13 Modric looks set to try to leave the club once more.
It is believed that the star will ask to leave the side in writing in the next week, and as such will create a bidding war between Manchester United and Real Madrid this summer.
It is believed that Spurs would prefer to sell Modric abroad if he does leave, with a £30 million-plus deal expected to be required to convince Tottenham to sell.
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