Euro 2016: Toni Kroos is Germany's most important player

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  • Kroos is Germany's main man

    “Toni Kroos is a point of focus in our team; he has all the qualities that you need as a midfielder,” Germany manager Joachim Low explained ahead of their Euro 2016 opener against Ukraine.

    Kroos certainly lived up to his coach’s billing. Although Germany didn’t have it all their own way during their 2-0 win in Lille, Kroos emphatically showed why Low holds him in such high esteem. It was a performance in which his technical gifts and football intelligence shone brightly.

    Playing as Germany’s left-sided holding midfielder, alongside Sami Khedira in Low’s 4-2-3-1 system, the Real Madrid star did a beautiful job of orchestrating so many of Germany’s most incisive passages.

    With Mykhailo Fomenko’s side organising themselves into a 4-4-2 formation when defending, their two most advanced attackers – Viktor Kovalenko and Roman Zozulya – looked to limit Germany’s ability to build up play centrally from the back.

    To get around this, Kroos cunningly drifted out to the left and left-of-centre positions to receive possession in the spaces made vacant by onrushing left-back Jonas Hector.

    Viktor Kovalenko and Roman Zozulya essentially marked Germany centre-backs Jerome Boateng and Shkodran Mustafi. Meanwhile, Hector pushing forward attracted Andriy Yarmolenko’s attention and Kroos had acres of space out on the left in which to weave his magic.

    That’s precisely what he did. The 26-year-old completed an exemplary 102 of his 109 attempted passes, created five chances and embarked on three successful dribbles.

    Factoring in his sublime set-piece delivery he used to find Mustafi for Germany’s opener, there could be no doubting Kroos’ worth in attack.

    It must be noted, however, that his defensive contribution was equally important.

    A key by-product from his preference to favour the left was that he was always in ideal positions to cover for both winger Julian Draxler and full-back Hector. Moreover, by providing this essential cover, the counter-attacking threat of Ukraine’s dangerous right winger Yarmolenko was substantially nullified.

    Kroos’ regular communication with his team-mates underlined how vital his experience and leadership qualities are to Die Mannschaft.

    When Germany drew 0-0 with familiar foes from qualifying, Poland, Kroos yet again exuded class, despite the result.

    With Poland possessing a fearsome strike-force including arguably the world’s best centre-forward in Robert Lewandowski and young Ajax sensation Arkadiusz Milik, Kroos and his team-mates went into the match knowing they’d have their work cut out to blunt the dynamic Polish attack. Overall, it was something they did rather well.

    The Poles also had the likes of Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jacob Blaszczykowski and Bartosz Kapustka in their ranks. As a result, Kroos in particular showed his class to slightly alter his mindset to a more defensive one to deal with the multifaceted Polish threat.

    In the process, the Madrid man wonderfully displayed why he’s such an adaptable footballer who can manage different games and scenarios with aplomb.

    Crucially, however, he didn’t let this hinder his attacking impetus, for the majority of Germany’s most promising forward passages were instigated by him. Kroos certainly couldn’t be blamed for his team’s inability to score in the 0-0 draw, in a match where he completed 100 passes and manufactured three goalscoring opportunities.

    When Kroos was quizzed on whether he’s in the best form of his career, his response gave an insight into how good he’s feeling about his game.

    “Am I at the peak of my career? I’ve played at quite a high level for a few years now,” he nonchalantly mused. “I feel the same way I always do. I’m quite relaxed. There is no reason not to be.”

    Kroos, who controls games with his exquisite weight and range of passing and provides such balance to Low’s side, will be desperate to get the Germans back on the winners list against Northern Ireland. This match presents itself as an important fixture, not only as Germany can nail down top spot in their group, but also to inspire some much needed confidence.

    Two games into the tournament and Kroos has already shown his quality, as he’s unquestionably been Germany’s best player in both of their matches. Now he just needs his colleagues to step up, and if they do, the world champions will have every chance of success at this summer’s showpiece too.

    While Kroos may not be Germany’s most eye-catching operator, he’s arguably their most important.

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