Kroos, an unexpected lung

The physique itself of Toni Kroos He has never been considered an element of capital importance for Real Madrid, but his physical condition will play an important asset in Carlo Ancelotti’s upcoming plans. The veteran midfielder (in January he will be 32 years old) has become the only one of the almost sacred media trident that is inoculated with the FIFA Virus. Casemiro has only played one game on this trip with Brazil, but the 21,000 kilometers of travel accumulate, while Modric left with the tension of playing the World Cup. Kroos is almost the opposite. He is being able to dedicate himself in Valdebebas to polishing his conditioning. For a Madrid that has a steep stretch after Granada and the Sheriff (in two weeks it will have Sevilla, Inter, La Real and Derbi), the German will be an extra lung to keep up with the rhythm of the engine room.

The key is that Kroos is being less demanding, at this stage of the course, than usual. He has only played 40% of the possible with Madrid. The pubic injury that had him withdrawn from the start and his withdrawal from the German team have had a lot to do with it. He has saved three stoppages of national teams, which would have loaded him with maybe seven more games, these in the team.

Although Kroos He still doesn’t like having to play Casemiro, so he also told Davide Ancelotti, second of Carletto and his right hand on the tactical details, the Teuton can inject energy into the whole of the white midfield if the Brazilian or Modric have to rotate. The harmony with the Italian technician is total. “Carlo knows what I can give, few know me like him,” the German acknowledged last Friday on RMTV.

A state of form that allowed him to advance his middle position five meters against Rayo to get closer to the opposing goal, and he scored 1-0, confident that he will have acceleration again when you also have to run backwards and that that extra effort will not pay for it by leaving exhausted with his selection, as was the case in the past. It shows in a melting pot of statistics that this campaign is improving. That minor fatigue is allowing Kroos to increase his already excellent passing accuracy. to the point that he fails just five passes out of a hundred he tries (He has raised it from 92.7% to 94.8%). Also dare to shoot more (from 1.5 kicks per game to 2.1 now) and make his work more efficient by reducing turnovers, from 6.8 per game in 2020-21 to 6.2 in the current one. Data that underpin the middle band of the white team and it is not a small thing when Madrid is faced with stakes against coaches such as Lopetegui, Imanol and Simeone …