Real Madrid may just have their Toni Kroos replacement at home

Real Madrid’s struggles in the past two years have been well documented, and they are so diverse that it would be difficult to put all of them in one article.

The primary reason for all their struggles is their weakness in midfield, which is something that, although Bernardo Silva will help with, is still left unresolved, two years removed from Toni Kroos’ retirement.

Before that, Real Madrid had a coach on the pitch. A player who can spray passes around, be a creative, line-breaking presence from deep, while also controlling the game with short passes and keeping possession of the ball for long stretches.

There aren’t that many players who can do all of what Kroos did – maybe Rodri is the only profile in that regard.

However, there are players who can replace part of what Kroos used to offer, and a couple of the most crucial aspects of his game can be controlled by one player.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's long-range passing and creativity will help Real Madrid if he's given an important role

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid’s marquee signing last summer, has looked good with the ball. However, he has not exactly hit the ground running with his move to the capital of Spain, primarily due to injuries as well as the team not doing well enough.

However, everyone saw what he can do with the ball at his feet, and it was a very interesting idea to think about. Jose Mourinho has played Trent inwards whenever he has the ball, and that is a lot to do with replacing the passing range and creativity of Kroos, than attempting to get all of what Kroos provides from one player.

This is not something new to Trent, either. He is very well equipped with a laser of a right foot, and has been doing this for most of his career. Trent’s brilliance on the ball has also helped his Liverpool teams in the past – especially those that didn’t have a volume, creative, long-range passer.

In fact, that was the most successful Liverpool team we have seen in quite some time, and having him around pinging balls left, right and centre had a lot to do with it.

Mourinho has tried him in a similar role, and even though you can’t really replace Kroos’ control with Trent, you can get other aspects from the Englishman, and hope that other players on the team can chip in, too.

Bernardo Silva, for example, would help a lot with ball retention and control. From a combination of these two players, Mourinho can get a lot out of Real Madrid’s midfield – it’s all a matter of whether this is a role and responsibility that he is willing to give out to Trent or not.