Real Madrid: Here’s why Toni Kroos will be their most important player
Although there are several standouts on Real Madrid’s squad, here’s why Toni Kroos is the most important player to the team’s success in 2019-2020.
With the trainwreck of 2018\19 season behind us, fans are now looking forward to the new season with a lot of hope of a turnaround in fortunes for Real Madrid. Now that the transfer window is closed, fans know the players that the club and the manager have decided to put their trust in. But who will be the most important player this season?
Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, and Ferland Mendy have joined the club, so there is a positive feeling around the club about the transfer activities. Real reinforced itself in almost all departments except for midfield. With the departures of Dani Ceballos (loan) and Marcos Llorente, the very department that the club was stacked in for the past couple of seasons has now thinned.
By the looks of it, the starting midfield for the club is going to be the famous trio of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos. Amongst the three, Modric has aged, and while still vitally important to this team, he no longer can start every match He’ll probably rest a lot so that once the business end of the season comes he’ll be in prime condition. Casemiro is extremely important defensively for this team, but his contributions to the other end of the pitch are rare.
This brings us to Toni Kroos, who will be the most important player not just in midfield but for the entire team.
Kroos had an “off” season in 2018-19 along with the rest of the team. While he started brilliantly with dominating performances against the likes of Getafe and AS Roma, he seemed to have run out of gas by the time the crucial period of the season came around. The lack of rest or the lack of support from fellow midfielders could have contributed to him being exhausted.
But an on-song Kroos can completely dominate midfields week-in and week-out as he showed in 2016-17.
The 2016-17 version of Toni Kroos was the best version Real Madrid has seen. His consistency from the very start of the season to the end was amazing. While the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, and Isco dragged the team over the finishing line in La Liga and the Champions League over the last few months of the season with their amazing form, Kroos’s form over the entire season helped keep the team in contention for the trophies that the club would eventually win.
If that version of Kroos appears this season, the team has every chance of winning a major trophy. He needs to be the leader in the midfield. With the lack of depth in the midfield for this season, it’s even more important for him to stay healthy and not miss games due to injury. If Kroos manages to stay healthy and be in form then the team can easily dominate the midfield.
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The midfield is a very important part of the field in any game of football and dominating that can easily lead the team to trophies. Kroos dominating most low to midtable teams season will lead to Modric being in perfect shape for the bigger games against tougher teams in the season. His ability to control games and unlock opposition teams, especially the ones who sit back, will be crucial.
Even Zidane seems to be relying most on Kroos amongst all players. Kroos had the most minutes played this pre-season. He has started off well with strong performances in all three games so far. Let’s hope he keeps improving and leads the team from the center of the park.