Why Luka Modric vs. Gabi and Augusto Will Be Key Real Madrid vs. Atletico Battle

It’s been no secret that Atletico Madrid’s players have long admired Luka Modric, and ahead of their UEFA Champions League final meeting with the Croatian and Real Madrid on Saturday at San Siro in Milan, Atletico’s Koke made it clear again. 

At his club’s open media day last weekend, Koke was asked which player he would take out of Real’s XI if he had the option to make Atleti’s opponents less dangerous. His response: “I would choose Modric if I could because I like the way he pulls the strings of the team.”

It wasn’t a surprise. 

After all, the difference in this Real Madrid side when Modric is there and when he’s not is profound. The Croatian is the man who sets his side’s fluency, who skips past opponents to break up defensive shapes and who regularly splits teams open with a single pass. 

With him, Real are typically incisive and free-flowing; without him, they’re nothing like that. 

Since Zinedine Zidane took over as manager at the Santiago Bernabeu, Modric has also been the architect in Real’s most consistently threatening move: from between lines, the rapid release of pinpoint balls into the channels for Real’s onrushing full-backs in Marcelo and Dani Carvajal, who in turn pick out the forwards. 

As such, the Real midfielder and his central battle with Atleti’s Gabi and Augusto Fernandez will be crucial to the outcome of Saturday’s contest. 

Here, we take a detailed look, starting with how the tactical methods of these sides make the aforementioned battle so important. 

Atleti Know They Can Hurt Real; Real Need a Response

The pattern is well set. When these teams meet, the approach from each side is relatively predictable: Real dominate possession; Atleti counter-attack.

It’s the latter, though, who have more clarity in their purpose. 

As demonstrated in the most recent Madrid derby at the Bernabeu in late February, Diego Simeone’s men are experts in forcing their neighbours wide and owning the central third of the pitch (more on this in a minute). 

In doing so, Atleti put themselves in a fantastic position to make rapid and direct attacks right down the middle when possession is …

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