Kroos Being Groomed As New Xabi

Following Xabi Alonso's move to Bayern Munich, Toni Kroos has found himself lining up in the Spaniard's position. Both Carlo Ancelotti and Joachim Löw have recently fielded the German as an anchorman screening the four defenders, with all the attacking play ahead of him. The 24-year-old covers a lot of ground and has a diverse skill set. He is equally proficient at playing killer passes and ghosting into the box, an art he cultivated during his playmaking days at Bayer Leverkusen, and as an organiser - a role he first learned under Louis van Gaal and Jupp Heynckes at Bayern and subsequently perfected (as he himself has claimed) under Pep Guardiola. However, before moving to the Bernabéu, Kroos had never previously played in a deep-lying position, where you are the fulcrum for the rest of the team and serve as the first port of call to distribute the ball out from the back. Kroos has all the tools to flourish in this role, but to do so he needs the help of his teammates. This was sorely missing during the 4-2 defeat in San Sebastián, leading him to be overrun when Real Madrid lost the ball. The same thing happened in both of Germany's games over the past week. The players alongside Kroos failed to do their bit, meaning the 'Los Blancos' man struggled to provide effective cover and press the opposition midfielders. - MARCA.com