Hats off to Kroos

Toni Kroos deserves the title of passing master.

Kim Min-jae made an unforgivable mistake that caused Bayern to lose their victory against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on the morning of May 1 (Hanoi time). However, the person responsible for everything must be coach Thomas Tuchel for allowing Toni Kroos too much space and time to play football.

Kroos makes a difference for Real Madrid

At Bayern's Allianz Arena, coach Tuchel's comments in the pre-match press conference became reality. The German strategist warned that Real Madrid always knows how to tear apart their opponents' goals, even if they don't give fans the feeling that a goal is coming.

"Sometimes, you watch their matches, analyze everything and think everything is under control. Then, like lightning, 5 or 10 seconds pass and the ball is in your net," coach Tuchel said.

The situation where Kroos assisted Vinicius Junior to score the opening goal happened exactly as coach Tuchel predicted. Before Real Madrid scored, Bayern dominated, creating more shots towards the opponent's goal. And then with the first shot, "Los Blancos" shook Manuel Neuer's goal net.

Kim Min-jae was criticized for being too "greedy" and "aggressive" in the ball Bayern conceded. However, everyone needs to admire Kroos. The German player's pass for Vinicius to escape was simply too classy. A ball that only passing masters can do.

In today's world football world, Kroos is worthy of the title of passing master. Someone who possesses excellent tactical sense. A genius mind with a soft, artistic football style but containing a lot of dangers.

Bayern knows very well how excellent Kroos is and what this player can do when given space and time. Tuchel is no stranger to the German star. At the end of the day, Bayern remained powerless to stop their old man.

Kroos made a difference for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich.

Kroos made a difference for Real Madrid against Bayern Munich.

On social networks, users gave a lot of praise to Kroos for his world-class assist. Vinicius is also lucky to work side by side with the passing master. The assist Kroos created for his teammates was the same as Mesut Ozil once did for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid did not have a perfect match against Bayern. The position they created was just normal. However, Kroos brings a difference to "Los Blancos" on the offensive front. More precisely, he plays the role of a talented commander, the factor that helps the home team score goals.

At the age of 34, Kroos is not out of time. Through the way coach Carlo Ancelotti talks about his student, fans can understand how big the German midfielder's stature is at Real Madrid. The 54-year-old strategist called Kroos an "irreplaceable player".

On the Allianz Arena, in the face of boos from Bayern fans, Kroos still played the role of ball distribution master, achieving a 98% passing accuracy rate, 3 key-passes (passes that open opportunities), 2 shots Successfully tackled the ball, cleared the ball 3 times.

In the first half, statistics from Squawka showed Kroos made more accurate passes than any other player, with 48 successful attempts. Only once did the ball fail to reach the correct target. The German midfielder also has more touches of the ball (59 times) as well as winning duels (4 times) than any other name on the field.

Not only good at organizing the game, Kroos also actively participated in defensive duties with 4 ball recoveries. More importantly, he had a "super assist" to help Vinicius hit Neuer's net. A top performance in the Champions League, in a big and very important match in world football.

Art by Kroos

Existing in Kroos is a paradox. He doesn't run as fast or possess as much energy as Federico Valverde. The German midfielder is also inferior to Aurélien Tchouaméni in terms of strength. The former Bayern star's speed is even further behind that of Eduardo Camavinga.

But Kroos still possesses a quality that no other player has: the ability to pass the ball masterfully. What makes a brand different from the rest? A quality that sometimes seems to need regeneration as well as radicalization because it looks outdated, but in the end, it still creates its own value.

Zinedine Zidane once said: "What Barcelona does with 40 passes, Kroos only needs one." In Munich, Bayern can launch many shots, but Kroos only needs one pass to create a breakthrough.

The bow shows Vinicius's admiration for Kroos.

The bow shows Vinicius's admiration for Kroos.

The moment Bayern players realized that allowing Kroos too much space and time to play, they had to pay the price. The German midfielder with the art of passing the ball becomes a sharp weapon capable of destroying any solid defense.

Looking back at the way Kroos provided an assist for Vinicius, he did it like no one else. Receiving the ball in the middle of the field, the German midfielder glanced around, controlling everything slowly. Suddenly, the 34-year-old star signaled Vinicius to move, then launched a pass that tore through the home defense.

What Kroos did was not random or based solely on luck. He did that many times. The goal Vinicius scored against Barcelona in the super classic match of the 2019/20 season is a typical example.

Initially, Kroos's handling seemed slow, creating predictability. However, with a great tactical vision, the former Bayern midfielder paints masterpieces beyond imagination.

Slow at the right time, fast at the right time. That is Kroos' football philosophy. The solution allows him to still have a place in the modern football landscape that favors speedy players with muscular strength.

Over the past decade, Real Madrid has seen many people come and say goodbye to those who leave. From James Rodriguez to Isco, they are all excellent midfielders but they all bounced off the Bernabeu field. Only Kroos's position became impregnable. All because the German midfielder possesses a weapon that is different from the rest.

During an interview with the press, former Argentine player Juan Roman Riquelme compared Kroos to tennis legend Roger Federer. "Kroos can go on the field, compete and go home without even needing to shower. He doesn't sweat, get dirty, or roll around on the field," Riquelme shared.

How can Kroos - a player who cannot run fast and lacks strength - "survive" in the harsh world of football and survive in an environment with high rejection like Real Madrid? The answer is simple because the German midfielder is a master passer. The person who turns difficult things into the easiest.