Overview
- Davide Ancelotti gave a long interview published on Saturday in which he said Real Madrid have not compensated for Kroos’s retirement and called the German ‘irreplaceable.’
- Ancelotti described Kroos as a midfield metronome who controlled tempo, made key decisions, defended effectively and covered about 11 kilometres per match, which he says the current squad lacks.
- He warned that Madrid’s shift toward more vertical, running midfielders has left them without a consistent distributor and suggested Manchester City’s Rodri as the closest stylistic fit in theory.
- Kroos publicly acknowledged the praise by resharing Ancelotti’s remarks on his Instagram with a heart emoji, underlining his continuing standing at the club.
- The comments come as Real Madrid work under José Mourinho after several coaching changes and two trophyless seasons, and they raise two clear paths forward: adjust tactics to use current players differently or pursue a specialist midfielder in the transfer market.