Deco and Luka Modric. Two talented and skillful playmakers will grace the English game this season. Who will reign supreme?

Two of the world's best playmakers will make their debuts on English soil when the new Barclays Premier League season kicks off in August. Deco for Chelsea and Luka Modric for Tottenham. Who will have the more devastating impact?

Espnstar.com's Kelvin Leong breaks down their style of play to give you a better insight even before they kick a ball.

Attacking

Modric - Face it, Dinamo Zagreb are not a big club, and Modric could well be at a disadvantage when he plays his first few games for Spurs. He may well be overawed by the speed and pace of the English game.

Having said that, he is a renowned passer who likes to push the ball out wide before making the runs into the middle to finish the move he started.

His favourite trick appears to be keeping the ball close to his feet and going past defenders, a move that does however sometimes result in him losing the ball. But when he does get beyond the backline, his needle-eyed passes normally create a chance for his strikers.

Deco - Might sometimes be considered lazy thanks to his languid style of play. You often see him strolling in the middle of the park waiting for his teammates to do the job before passing the ball to him.

Deco is not a great dribbler compared to Modric, but with his range of passing, he doesn't really need to be. One precise sweep of his right boot normally means one of his teammates are put through on goal. That is when things go right. He can be quite a wasteful player when he tries too hard to find his teammates. Deco is also often criticsed for not running into the box enough.

Round One - Deco
Geniuses never need to show too much. All they need is to make that one spectacular move and the fans will remember them for that instead of for their lack of team effort. Deco's pinpoint passing and inventive through balls gives him the edge over the younger Modric and what's more, the Portuguese playmaker has experience on his side.

Defending

Modric - During Croatia's impressive demolition of Germany at Euro 2008, anyone watching the game would have wondered how Modric had the energy to go box to box.

He would be attacking at one end of the field and, before you knew it, he was back in his own box blocking shots and tackling to regain possession.

His free role in the national team could have been disastrous based on his eagerness to attack, but the boy has shown enough maturity at the age of 22 to curb his enthusiasm and be a team player.

Deco - As already mentioned, languid is probably the key word when describing Deco's play. And a lack of focus in matches means he often jogs back when his team is under siege by the opposition. Many a time last season when Samuel Eto'o and even the much criticized Ronaldinho were sprinting back to defend a Barcelona lead, Deco could be seen taking a stroll back.

Round Two - Modric
His tireless style of play suits the English game where you have to defend as well as attack. Even Cristiano Ronaldo does it for United. Deco will do well to start pushing his fitness levels in pre-season or else he might face the wrath of the defensive minded tactician, Big Phil.

Goal scoring

Modric - In his seven-year stay with Dinamo Zagreb, Modric scored 43 goals in 152 appearances. With his national team, four goals in 29 matches. All at the age of 22.

The Croatian loves making late runs into the box or even playing one-two passes with his strikers which means he often lands himself in a goalscoring position. If he can continue doing this in the Premier League, he will definitely be in double figures.

The boy also takes penalties but will have to wrestle Robbie Keane off the spot if he wants to be Spurs' No.1 penalty taker.

Deco - 60 goals throughout the span of 12 years playing for five clubs. 56 appearances at national level only brought him four goals.

For a player who takes a lot of freekicks, his goalscoring figures aren't too impressive. He can be devastating when he connects with the ball off freekicks but at Chelsea, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba will be frontrunners to take those. So this leaves Deco with little chance of scoring much.

Round Three - Modric
Overall, Deco will prove to be the better player going forward but Modric has a more complete game to suit the Premier League. To Modric's advantage as well is the fact that at Spurs, he has chosen a club where he will be the chief constructor of how his team plays. Everything will flow through him and this will make people notice him more.

Next time out, I will put Spurs' new winger Giovani Dos Santos and Newcastle's flying Argentina Jonas Gutierrez head to head and see who might come out tops in the Barclays Premier League.

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