"He was the master of the game": Former coach reveals why Real Madrid still have not recovered from Toni Kroos's departure
Real Madrid have not compensated for the loss of Toni Kroos even years after his departure. If you ask Davide Ancelotti’s opinion, it is not possible to replace the former midfield orchestrator.
"He was the master of the game. He dictated the tempo. The game developed the way he wanted it to. He made the decisions - and that was crucial because he controlled the tempo of the game for the team," Ancelotti, current Lille OSC coach and son of coaching legend Carlo Ancelotti, told Spanish newspaper AS.
The former Real assistant coach continued to rave about Kroos: "And on top of that, he ran an incredible amount. He covered 11 kilometres per game. He also knew how to defend and had an outstanding tactical understanding. I loved him when he played as a number six. I loved it."
What does Ancelotti say about Kroos' style of play?
On Kroos' style of play, the Lille coach said: "He was not necessarily someone who went after second balls or challenges. He preferred to play as a number eight because he left the dirty work to the number six. For Real Madrid's style of play, it has therefore inevitably been very difficult to lose Toni. The team suddenly lost a great deal."
Across 10 years at Real Madrid, Kroos won the Champions League five times with Los Blancos among other honours before ending his playing career in 2024. His departure, along with the loss of Luka Modric, who now plays for AC Milan at 41, is repeatedly cited as a factor in Real's sporting problems in the recent past.
Ancelotti said the current central midfield, featuring players such as Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler, brings different qualities. "I do not want everything I say about Real Madrid to be understood as criticism. But when Modric or Kroos were on the pitch, the ball found its way to their team-mate with every run in behind." He did not want to deny the current players that ability, but vertical play requires "someone who knows how to get the ball to you".
Since Carlo Ancelotti's departure, Los Blancos have also gone through several coaching changes. After Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, Jose Mourinho is already the third coach on the Real Madrid touchline within a year.
Over the past two seasons, Los Blancos have also failed to win a major title, managing only smaller honours such as the 2024 UEFA Super Cup and the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup. In LaLiga, they have most recently been beaten each time by arch-rivals Barcelona. This season too, the gap to the Catalans is already six points.
