There is a particular kind of honesty that arrives only after a devastating blow. Luka Modric, a man who has seen and won it all, has laid bare the ra...
There is a particular kind of honesty that arrives only after a devastating blow. Luka Modric, a man who has seen and won it all, has laid bare the raw nerve behind AC Milan's recent struggles. By his own admission, the failure to qualify for the Champions League was the cold reality check that finally made him open his eyes. It is a sentiment that resonates far beyond the confines of the Milanello training ground.This is not the usual puffed chest rhetoric we hear from footballers in pre season. Modric's words carry the weight of a player who understands that the history of a club like Milan demands a certain standard, a standard that was simply not met last season. He spoke of a desire to bounce back that is, in his words, immense. But let us not confuse desire with direction. Desire is the fuel, but it takes a tactical engine to convert it into results. The question now hanging over the San Siro is whether that engine has been properly tuned.For a side that often looked fragmented in transitional play, conceding soft goals from a disjointed low block, the psychological scar of missing out on Europe's top table runs deep. Modric's admission suggests the squad is finally confronting that scar rather than hiding from it. There is no greater motivator than the fear of being left behind, of watching your rivals take the stage you believe is rightfully yours. It is a deeply human reaction, the kind that can either forge a resilient unit or fracture a fragile one.The old guard, the leaders in that dressing room, now have a choice. They can wallow in the memory of what went wrong, or they can use that bitterness as a whetstone to sharpen their own mentality. From what Modric has said to GoalZaza, it appears they have chosen the latter. But talk is cheap on the training ground; the true test comes when the pressure is on, when it is squeaky bum time in a tight match. That is when the real bounce back, or the collapse, reveals itself.Sentiment alone will not win back the Scudetto nor secure a place at Europe's top table. Yet, for the first time in a long while, there is a gritty, almost defiant tone emanating from this Milan side. Forget the tactical flexibility for a moment. The most important thing to fix is the head. And if Modric is right, the healing process has finally begun.
