Carlo Ancelotti has hailed Toni Kroos after the German international scored his first goal for Real Madrid in Saturday’s comprehensive victory over Rayo Vallecano.
Kroos struck his team’s third goal early in the second half to settle his team’s nerves after the visitors threatened to mount a stirring comeback, sending the league leaders on the way to a 5-1 victory.
And Ancelotti felt Kroos’ goal was the icing on the cake of another influential performance, claiming: “Kroos was the man of the match, he is playing to a very high level.”
The 24-year-old was signed for just 25 million pounds (Dh114.5m) from Bayern Munich and already his contribution is making his signing look like a bargain purchase, something big-spending Madrid are not usually associated with.
Kroos’ smooth introduction and the equally impressive form of Luka Modric has provided a springboard for Madrid’s success.
Although both Kroos and his Croatian partner have previously operated as playmakers for club and country, Ancelotti has managed to blend them into deep-lying midfielders, with one covering for the other if he decides to move forward.
No mean feat when you consider the attacking wealth Madrid possess and the area they have to cover in order to maintain balance in the middle of the park.
It has also helped ease the unexpected departure of Xabi Alonso to Bayern.
Alonso was seen as the glue that held Madrid’s aggressive, attacking ethos together and made them more of a unit but Ancelotti, at least so far, has been able to compensate for the exit of the veteran Spanish midfielder.
“They are a very good pairing,” the Italian said.
“Kroos has the freedom to go forward from time to time and, when he does, Modric covers his position.”
Madrid’s opening goal was scored by Gareth Bale after he returned to the starting line-up following a month out with a hip and buttock injury, and the Welshman has spoken of his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo, whose late fifth goal means he has now scored in every home league game for a year.
Bale is delighted to have been named on the shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award, saying: “If you don’t want to be the world’s best you probably shouldn’t be playing football.”
But he also acknowledged that Ronaldo is the undisputed master of the Bernabeu, as he added: “At the moment, Ronaldo is on another level to everyone else.”
The Portuguese has already registered 18 league goals so far – eight more than La Liga’s second-highest scorer, Neymar – and Bale admitted the opportunity to play alongside the winger is a major motivating factor.
“It’s another reason why I came to Madrid – to learn from the best players,” added Bale.
“Seeing him in training every day, how concentrated he is on every aspect of his game and on the pitch, it gives me that kind of platform to aim for and keep improving. Hopefully one day I can get there.”
