Typical Toni Kroos – it all happened so quickly, after a passage of relative calm. The World Champion grabbed a long range 89th minute winner in the pouring rain in Vigo. Full time, interviews, dressing room, winter coat on, a few questions in the mixed zone; Real Madrid’s private jet was waiting. Just an hour after the goal, which sealed Germany’s first win against Spain for 14 years and first win in Spain for 36 year, he was already heading on his way to the next challenge.
DFB.de analysed the midfielder’s performance against Spain: He ran 11,656m in Vigo, made 108 passes and touched the ball 254 times. The Spanish sports magazine Marca describe the 24-year-old as “The GPS from Madrid.” Xabi Alonso, who swapped clubs with Kroos over summer, believes that Kroos is one of the top five midfielders in the world.
It becomes clearer how influential Kroos was when you directly compare him to Real Madrird team mate Isco: He ran 300m in the game, covers on average 7.5km per hour (Isco – 7.3km), played 108 passes (104) with a success rate of 87.6% (83.5% for Isco). The Spanish midfielder’s statistics don’t compare with Kroos’; hence he lost the direct dual in the friendly.
Ball retention and distribution: World class
Kroos sets the tempo for Germany; his ball retention and distribution are world class. He averaged 2.35 touches per phase of play and moved the ball on 1.28 seconds after receiving it. Are there currently any other midfielder who are as cool in possession as him? He is technically as well as physically excellent on the pitch.
One of the most impressive elements of his game is the way that he analyses the situation quickly and then has the necessary technique to deal with it perfectly. During the game he often had three or four players closing him down once he gained possession of the ball. Despite this, Kroos managed to find a solution in a quick but calm manner.
Typical Toni Kroos – it all happened so quickly, after a passage of relative calm. The World Champion grabbed a long range 89th minute winner in the pouring rain in Vigo. Full time, interviews, dressing room, winter coat on, a few questions in the mixed zone; Real Madrid’s private jet was waiting. Just an hour after the goal, which sealed Germany’s first win against Spain for 14 years and first win in Spain for 36 year, he was already heading on his way to the next challenge.
DFB.de analysed the midfielder’s performance against Spain: He ran 11,656m in Vigo, made 108 passes and touched the ball 254 times. The Spanish sports magazine Marca describe the 24-year-old as “The GPS from Madrid.” Xabi Alonso, who swapped clubs with Kroos over summer, believes that Kroos is one of the top five midfielders in the world.
It becomes clearer how influential Kroos was when you directly compare him to Real Madrird team mate Isco: He ran 300m in the game, covers on average 7.5km per hour (Isco – 7.3km), played 108 passes (104) with a success rate of 87.6% (83.5% for Isco). The Spanish midfielder’s statistics don’t compare with Kroos’; hence he lost the direct dual in the friendly.
Ball retention and distribution: World class
Kroos sets the tempo for Germany; his ball retention and distribution are world class. He averaged 2.35 touches per phase of play and moved the ball on 1.28 seconds after receiving it. Are there currently any other midfielder who are as cool in possession as him? He is technically as well as physically excellent on the pitch.
One of the most impressive elements of his game is the way that he analyses the situation quickly and then has the necessary technique to deal with it perfectly. During the game he often had three or four players closing him down once he gained possession of the ball. Despite this, Kroos managed to find a solution in a quick but calm manner.
