Real Madrid: Toni Kroos is stepping up as a secondary scoring option

There’s a case to be made that Toni Kroos has been Real Madrid’s best player this season, and while that’s a complicated debate, what’s less complicated is the importance of his recent goal-scoring to the team.

Real Madrid have had trouble converting chances into goals. Last season, Karim Benzema was the only player to grab double-digit goals, and he was once again the team’s only real scoring threat through the first few months of the 2019-2020 campaign.

But since returning from an adductor injury prior to the October international break, midfielder Toni Kroos has now scored twice in two games. The first of his strikes was a vital one, as it proved to be the decisive goal in Real’s critical 1-0 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Kroos added his second goal against Leganes, hitting home in the eighth minute to give Real Madrid a commanding 2-0 lead after Rodrygo had struck first blood just one minute earlier.

This season, Kroos has been playing a more advanced role under Zinedine Zidane, as he transitions into duties that suit his game more. Kroos will turn 30 soon, and while he is still a world-class player, that world-class ability is clearly better-suited in an attacking midfield role as compared to a deeper role that exposes his drop in athleticism defensively.

Earlier this season, Kroos’ passing, chance creation, and ability to test the keeper had made him an invaluable part of Real’s otherwise mediocre attack. Kroos is among La Liga’s most consistent sources of key passes, placing fifth in the league in this category, as per Sofa Score.

The issue, however, is that Real also need goals. Eden Hazard has been slow to find the scoresheet, and a two-striker system hasn’t worked to this point. That has placed all the pressure on Benzema to score, with the likes of Gareth Bale inconsistently chipping in.

But recently, Kroos has been finding the back of the net. To be sure, it’s a small sample size, but we can say the same thing of the games in which he hit the target but was robbed of a goal. Surely, he would have made the difference in El Derbi if Atletico Madrid’s keeper were anyone other than Jan Oblak, who is quite literally the best in the world.

Kroos’ luck has turned for the better, as his technique and ambition have yielded two goals in Real’s last two games. If he can continue to consistently score, then Real will have found an important secondary scoring option for Benzema in the attacking midfield position. And if Rodrygo, who now has two goals in his first three career appearances, can keep up the pace, Real will have found three legitimate scoring options at three different positions.

And if Eden Hazard can score like he did at Chelsea and the floodgates open for Jovic after his debut goal vs. Leganes, then, well, let’s just say the rest of La Liga will be put on notice very quickly.