The one in Manchester was not the best night for Kroos. Without Casemiro, Ancelotti returned to invoke the ‘PSG formula’ as his ace up his sleeve; and chose German as a patch for the pivot. That night he did it between cottons, with an uncertain physical state that subtracted from the drama of his bad game. The euphoria of the comeback also helped to suffocate any hint of flame. But at the Etihad a déjá vù was experienced. The dilemma was certainty. Guardiola’s approach confused Kroos completely: up to five players positioned themselves behind him, driving him crazy without knowing exactly who to mark and who to leave free. Toni was late for all the pressures, for all the tilts. Suspense night.
Their numbers were as follows. Kroos played the 90 minutes, although Camavinga’s entry in the 70th minute freed him from the pivot, as Madrid went on to play with a 4-4-2 with him lined up with Modric. He didn’t fire a shot, nor did he block it. In total he made 64 passes with a 92% success rate, outstanding numbers that reinforce him in that in terms of distribution, he is a superlative player. But not as a pivot, because defensively problems arise: he only won 33% of the tackles he made, he recovered two balls and lost seven. To put the numbers in perspective: rodryhis counterpart at City, recovered ten balls and had 100% success in tackles, in addition to giving 92 passes (same success as Kroos, 92%).
That to Greifswald the ring of pivot It doesn’t quite fit your finger, it’s something that he himself has publicly acknowledged. In 2018 he was heavily criticized by Michael Ballack after the debacle of Germany in the World Cup, which Toni played as pivot alternating with Kimmich. The Real Madrid player, in October, openly said that “I am not a Casemiro”. And he pointed out that although he likes to play center, he is aware that his quality is enhanced when he plays further forward. This season he has played three games as a ‘5’, with two and a half losses. He fell for Madrid both at Cornellà-El Prat (2-1) and at the Etihad (4-3); and although they won against PSG, the comeback began 4 minutes after the change of drawing (Kroos went to the bench and Camavinga came on). With him as closure, the wind has never blown in favor.
Tchouameni option
And games like the one in Manchester reinforce the idea that Madrid urgently needs a replacement of guarantees to Casemiro. That is where the name of the pearl of Ruan appears. As AS has been telling, Madrid’s interest in his signing is real and the operation is underway, but nothing is closed yet. Other clubs like City, Liverpool and above all PSG are also after him. Aurélien, curiously, tweeted minutes after the Etihad football recital: “Frankly, what a pleasure to watch a match of this level”. And the rumble, already unleashed, what he has done is shoot up.
#Kroos #Casemiro