{"id":1342658,"date":"2024-02-23T18:14:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T18:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1342658"},"modified":"2024-02-23T18:19:49","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T18:19:49","slug":"toni-kroos-international-u-turn-euro-2024-boost-germany","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/toni-kroos-international-u-turn-euro-2024-boost-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Toni Kroos’ international U-turn is a huge Euro 2024 boost to Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has offered a huge boost to Germany’s Euro 2024 chances by announcing his return to international football.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kroos hasn’t featured for Germany since their 2-0 defeat to England at Wembley in the Euro 2020 first knockout round, calling time on his international career following that humiliation. After the match, Kroos came in for particularly harsh criticism from Germany and Bayern Munich legend Uli Hoene\u00df.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like Kroos, he showed world-class performances in the past. He was great for Bayern – but his way of playing is completely done. He no longer fits with today’s football,” Hoene\u00df said back in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are 1-0 down against England in the last quarter of an hour, Kroos no longer crossed the halfway line. He played sideways, then sideways again, until the opposing defence had organized themselves<\/p>\n

\u201cBayern players are super self-confident guys who had a big say with Hansi Flick. I know they were totally unhappy with the situation, with Low’s tactics. Yet they accepted it. I don’t understand, I didn’t know them like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should have said \u2018Toni Kroos no longer fits into this football with his sideways game. Our football is played vertically. The ball is played forward all the time\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

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    Another Deutschland icon, Lothar Matth\u00e4us, also stuck the boot in on Kroos, telling Kicker: “Kroos is no longer international class. Personally, I have nothing against Toni Kroos, but I don’t agree with the way he plays. At the Euros, you saw that it’s not just about the speed of the player, but also that of the ball.<\/p>\n

    “He actually does that quite well with one or two touches, but when he passes the ball, he loses speed again because there is hardly any gain in space and the pace is taken off.”<\/p>\n

    In the time since that defeat to England, Kroos has not slowed down at club level, playing over 130 times across all competitions for Real Madrid, helping Los Blancos to Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey honours. And, in fairness, Matth\u00e4us himself did name the 34-year-old as Germany’s ‘best midfielder of all time’ in 2022.<\/p>\n

    Well, regardless of who agrees or disagrees, Kroos is back, announcing his return to\u00a0Die Mannschaft\u00a0<\/em>on Thursday.<\/p>\n

    “People, short and painless: I will play for Germany again in March. Why? Because I was asked by the federal coach, I’m in the mood and I’m sure that with the team at the European Championship, much more is possible than most believe right now!” Kroos wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    He added:\u00a0“Julian contacted me and asked me if I could imagine it, which wasn\u2019t in my mind until then. We agreed I would take the idea with me and see what happens. I’ve thought about the idea: What if so?\u00a0What if not? With every conversation, without going into too much detail, I became more and more convinced.<\/p>\n

    “That\u2019s why I wanted to decide in good time so as not to keep anyone waiting. I’m very, very happy with my decision. It took me a while to be certain Of course I want to help.\u00a0But I’m definitely not the savior either. I’m just a cog that meshes with the others to hopefully make it work. I know the boys, I know the players, all of them have great qualities.<\/p>\n

    “Now it\u2019s time to show that as a team I still feel good and physically ready to do it without any problems.\u00a0The fact that I’m needed for the tournament in my country is an incentive.”<\/p>\n

    A master with the ball and an expert in picking out a ‘zuckerpass<\/em>‘, Kroos will add invaluable quality and experience to a Germany side still finding its identity ahead of hosting the Euros. But it’s not just that. Even in his advancing years, Kroos still holds up statistically as one of the very best in Europe.<\/p>\n

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    Euro 2024 winner odds with BetMGM<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n
      \n
    • England – 7\/2<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • France – 7\/2<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Germany – 13\/2<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Spain – 7\/1<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Portugal – 8\/1<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      \n

      5 reasons why Toni Kroos’ return is vital for Germany’s Euro 2024 chances<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      1. Conductor<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      As mentioned, Kroos is the meister of the ‘zuckerpass’, carving defences open from pretty much anywhere on the pitch with his incredible vision, range and accuracy. In fact, among players to feature in at least 1,000 minutes, nobody in Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues beats Kroos when it comes to passes into the final third per 90 minutes. The German sits on 16 in this particular metric, one ahead of his nearest rival, Trent Alexander-Arnold.<\/p>\n

      \n

      16 \u2013 Most passes into the final third per 90 minutes in the big five leagues in 2023-24 (min 1000 minutes):<\/p>\n

      ? Toni Kroos 16
      ? Trent Alexander-Arnold 15
      ? T\u00e9ji Savanier 14
      ? Kevin St\u00f6ger 14
      ? Rodri 14<\/p>\n

      Conductor. pic.twitter.com\/wzbajRwyUp<\/a><\/p>\n

      — OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) February 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n