Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after the 1-0 win over Real Valladolid

Is anyone touching Toni Kroos’ level right now?

Let’s end the burning questions for this Matchday with a positive. It’s easy to forget, since it was such a tight match, that Real Madrid won, and it is thus reasonable to focus on one of the other star performers from the win besides Thibaut Courtois.

Toni Kroos had four key passes and four tackles. He created a golden chance for Casemiro on a free kick in the first half, which the Brazilian failed to head home. But in the second half, they connected for the game’s lone goal.

The German international has created more shots from set pieces this season than any other player in La Liga. There may not be a better set-piece taker in Europe right now. And there may not be a more in-form midfielder either.

Kroos, who had the most key passes per game in the Champions League group stages, heads into the match at Atalanta on fire. He has five assists in his last five La Liga matches, and, as we saw this weekend at Real Valladolid, he should actually have even more than five assists.

The 31-year-old has recorded at least three key passes in each of those five matches, too, averaging 3.6 key passes per game during that time span. He has 2.4 combined tackle and interceptions per game in those five matches, and that’s a huge help to the team.

If there are two big reasons for hope in the Champions League this coming week, then they are the standouts from the weekend’s league fixture: the midfield trio and Courtois in goal. And the best of those midfielders is none other than the No. 8.