Real Madrid's "legend" Toni Kroos (36) poured intense criticism after his former team lost in El Clásico.
Kroos appeared on the podcast Einfache Mal Luefen, which he hosts with his brother Felix, on the 12th (Korean time), and referring to the 0-2 loss to Barcelona on the 11th, he diagnosed the team's current state as "desperate."
Real has this season been eliminated early from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League and the Copa del Rey round of 16, and in the league they ceded the title to Barcelona, experiencing their worst slump since the mid-2010s.
Kroos, noting that Real effectively confirmed two trophyless seasons in a row, said, "Not winning for two seasons at Real is unacceptable. It's over," and diagnosed, "the recent poor form is not simply a tactical issue but a direct result of broken relationships inside the locker room that have shown up on the pitch."
Kroos especially criticized the players' movement shown in El Clásico, saying, "It felt like they had already accepted defeat even before the match started," and stressed, "there was no sign of the fighting spirit a Real player should show."
He continued bluntly and unforgivingly, "Although it was slightly better in the second half, there was not a single positive thing to be found in this match."
Kroos analyzed that the gap with Barcelona stems from the completeness of the tactical system. He pointed out, "Barcelona's second goal (Ferran Torres' score) clearly shows the difference with Real."
He added, "Dani Olmo and Ferran, who were involved in the goals, might not have been starters if all regulars had been healthy. But the tactical movements and patterns promised in training were ingrained in their bodies," and lamented, "on the other hand, Real relied only on individual name value, and the team movements disappeared."
With recent rumors rife about the dismissal of coach Alvaro Arbeloa (43) and the return of coach Jose Mourinho (63), Kroos' remarks are expected to cause considerable ripples in the pride of the fallen giants.
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