Modric walks tall

Against Espanyol, Luka Modric played a great deal better than, for example, Di María. This was mainly because Modric is a true midfielder who knows how to pace a game, and when he has to slow things down or speed them up.
Di María is a winger, who is quite capable of playing where he did this time out, and he worked hard in defence, but he is not a naturally-gifted central midfielder and he runs too hard in his eagerness to get into the opposing half as fast as he can.
With Xabi Alonso as the only true central midfielder, Modric and Di María were like two traditional inside forwards. Their influence extended from one area to the other along their respective inside channels, with the two full-backs coming in from outside.