depending on the tactics, and his role was described as the second deep-lying pivot alongside Xabi Alonso in the 2012–13 season, a classic deep-lying playmaker whose creativity was needed to dictate his team's play and unlock the opposing defence. In the first half of the 2013–14 season, during which he formed an effective central midfield partnership with Alonso and Ángel Di María, Modrić made more tackles (56) than any other Real Madrid player in La Liga with an average number of 2.86 tackles per match, as well as making the most completed passes (878) in the opposition half of the pitch among Real Madrid players, with the highest passing accuracy in La Liga (90%) (also the highest of any midfielder in Europe's top five leagues who have made five or more assists during the season). In the 2014–15 season, with the arrival of Toni Kroos, Real Madrid no longer had an effective and natural ball-winner alongside their playmakers in midfield, while the team possessed many attackers. Therefore, in addition to producing the highest count of passes (60.7–64.7) and key passes per match (0.8–1.2) within the team, both Modrić and Kroos had more defensive responsibility to set the rhythm of the team's gameplay in midfield and orchestrate counterattacks. Modrić's average passing accuracy during the season was between 91.6–92%, while his highest completion rate in a single match occurred in October against Barcelona when he completed all 42 attempted passes. For all of 2014, Modrić's dribble attempts (75) at a success rate of 76% were second in Europe's top five leagues. During the 2015–16 season, although he placed only 12th in terms of chances created, almost all players above him were either forwards or attacking midfielders with no defensive responsibilities. Reception Modrić is widely regarded as one of the best and most well-rounded and effective midfielders of all time. According to Jonathan Wilson, what sets Modrić apart from traditional playmakers is his simultaneous focus on defensive and attacking duties. Due to his footballing intelligence, skill and fairplay he was compared to Paul Scholes, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Andrea Pirlo. In his youth, he had also been compared to Johan Cruyff, while his main influences were compatriot Zvonimir Boban and Italian playmaker Francesco Totti. He has been consistently praised by some of the sport's most experienced managers, including Johan Cruyff, Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, and Sven-Göran Eriksson among others. From those who managed