Real Madrid have been no strangers to periods of transition over the past few years, with manager Carlo Ancelotti tactics reflecting on his side’s ability to display multiple footballing identities in order to continue their excellent footballing achievements.
This was evident even as recently as the last campaign, with the legendary Italian manager having to problem-solve and adapt to the loss of a world-class striker whilst still maintaining their firepower in the final third.
The 2024/25 season has created a new conundrum for the Spanish champions, as the arrival of Kylian Mbappé has added another attacking superstar to their ranks and potentially impacted squad harmony and attacking stability.
There is no doubt that Real Madrid boast one of the most dangerous attacking trios in all of La Liga, but the loss of their midfield metronome, Toni Kroos, has damaged their ability to create the necessary attacking opportunities efficiently.
It was evident that the midfield responsibility and overall control that Kroos brought to the table would not be an easy thing to replace for Real Madrid, but we have begun to see some of the frailties in the Madrid midfield as a result of his absence.
Throughout this tactical analysis, we will begin to address some of the ways in which Kroos was integral for Real Madrid’s build-up towards the end of last season and, subsequently, some of the issues that have arisen when trying to supply their dynamic attacking tactics.
Our analysis will also portray some of the ways in which Madrid have bypassed their new-found troubles, identifying positive examples of play which would indicate a possible succession plan for life after Toni Kroos.
Toni Kroos Impact At Read Madrid In 2024
Toni Kroos has perhaps been one of the more underappreciated players in a Real Madrid squad littered with world-class talent, but the influential nature of his role was on display in the most important match of Madrid’s season in 2024—the UEFA Champions League final.
The most impactful aspect of his game that we will pay close attention to is his ability to set the tone of Real Madrid’s initial phase of build-up play.
Last season, we saw that Kroos was incredibly comfortable when dropping deeper on the right flank, but most predominantly through the left-hand side of the pitch, assuming his position amongst the central defenders to offer that initial passing outlet for his goalkeeper.
The underlying stats paint a reasonable picture as to why this was the case in Ancelottis system.
Kroos ranked within the top 1% of midfielders across the top 5 European leagues for progressive passes (10.74 per 90) and a passing completion percentage of 91.5%.
The effectiveness of Kroos’ play was not only reliant on the German midfielder’s ability to evade pressure and execute his incredible passing range but also his ability to predict the movement of his energetic counterparts within Madrid’s midfield, as displayed here when threading the ball through the lines to the evasive Eduardo Camavinga.
His vision was a huge factor in Real Madrid’s ability to move the ball as high up the pitch and as quickly as possible — something that has been lacking from their game since his departure.
Kroos was by far and away the most successful long passer in La Liga last campaign, having completed 13.75 long passes per 90 with an important 2.43 switches per match.
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