After more than two months of fermentation, Toni Kroos' decision to return to the German national team became a fact. The Real Madrid midfielder, who voluntarily withdrew from the national team after the 2021 European Championship in the summer, issued a "return declaration" through his social media account on Thursday. He wrote on Instagram: "Guys, get straight to the point: I'll be back playing for Germany in March. Why? Because the national team coach asked me, I was ready, and I believe that the performance with this team in the Euros will be much bigger than most people think! So, what does his return mean for the German team, which has been in the slump of three consecutive tournaments and is desperate to rebuild its image as a strong team at the European Championships on home soil?
On June 29, 2021, the European Championship 1 8 final lost 0-2 to England, which was supposed to be Kroos's farewell match for the national team.
Returning for the European Cup winners
The topic of bringing Kroos back to the national team has not been interrupted since he retired. After all, he was only 31 years old when he quit, which was obviously an early retirement, not to mention that he immediately won the fifth Champions League trophy of his career with Real Madrid, becoming the only German player to unlock this achievement. On top of that, in the more than two and a half years since he left, the German team has not opened a new chapter under Flick as expected, but has repeatedly broken the bar in terms of competition and international prestige, and faces great danger of being disgraced at the European Championships on home soil. Some of the fans who blamed Loew and Kroos for leading Germany away now miss the midfielder's passing ability and leadership qualities.
So since mid-December, when Nagelsmann was asked whether he planned to invite Kroos back to the German TV 2 program, he said that it was an "interesting idea", and the topic has continued to heat up. In fact, according to Nashuai's statement at the time, at least until that time, he had not seriously invited Kroos to return. Na Shuai only revealed that he had known Kroos, who was the same age, long before he took charge of Bayern, and the two were very good people to chat with, "It always feels very interesting to communicate with him. He's one of those players, and there aren't many of them, maybe 20, and he's the kind of player that you can talk about very emotionally. ”
Nagelsmann successfully lobbied "many years netizen" Kroos to return to the national team.
As for bringing Kroos back to the national team, Nagelsmann said that he had not spoken to him seriously, but he did not say anything to death: "I also told him: as far as I know, he still has a German passport, and I sincerely invite him to show his best. If he performs at his best, then maybe I'll bring him back again. Apparently, the two continued to be in close contact after that, until the boss finally decided to extend an invitation to Kroos. And Kroos's attitude has clearly changed after the push from all sides and his personal deliberation. Whether it's **, fans or insiders with various connections to Kroos, they gradually smell that he wants to come back. Germany's director, Worrall, said a few days ago that Kroos is still a "world-class player" who "can do some great things." And about a week ago, Kroos had made a vague announcement of his return, "I'm still thinking about it, I haven't decided yet. There is such a possibility. "Eventually, he did come back.
From his "return declaration", it is not difficult to find that, in addition to the invitation of Nagelsmann, a "long-time netizen", Kroos's other reason, or fundamental reason, for returning to the national team is the European Championship - more precisely, the vision of winning the European Cup. With the Copa del Rey finally lifted for the first time last season, Kroos has played in a top-flight tournament in his career without winning the title, and there is only the European Cup. When announcing his retirement after the last European Championship, Kroos said that the elimination of France in the semi-finals of Euro 2016 was "the bitterest defeat of his national team career". And the last European Championship, which was supposed to be his last fight for this title, "I made 106 appearances for Germany and I won't add one more. I wanted to play 109 games and then win another trophy – the European Championship. ”
How are the midfielders arranged and combined?
What exactly did Nagelsmann say that successfully moved Kroos, who ruled out a return on several occasions during Flick's time in charge of Germany? What is it that makes Kroos feel that this struggling German team can make a difference at the European Championships on home soil? Immediately after announcing his return, Kroos revealed more details on his podcast with his brother Felix.
Kroos stressed that he didn't think about it until Nagelsmann asked him if he could imagine a return, "The national team coach called me ** and told me that I was needed for this local tournament, which was an inspiration. After hearing this, Kroos could not be "indifferent", after all, it was also a "huge recognition" of his recent performance at Real Madrid. Kroos revealed that after each conversation with Nagelsmann, his idea of playing at the European Championships on home soil becomes "further matured". In the end, the key to his "big decision" was the "consensus" with Nagelsmann: "You have to have a feeling that it will work and that it will bear fruit." Otherwise you won't do it. ”
Cross didn't forget to pour cold water on his return, "Of course I want to help, but I'm definitely not a savior. He also stressed that don't think that he left and came back, "This ruse will make us popular." It doesn't make sense to think like that. In fact, despite the general welcome for Kroos' return to the national team, with more than 70 per cent of readers in an online poll by *, it is hard to be optimistic about the effect and prospects of his return given his performances in the last two tournaments before leaving the national team, as well as the recent situation of the German team. The biggest and most immediate question is: how should the midfield be arranged and combined?
As for how to make good use of Gundogan's new captain, Nagelsmann does not have an ideal plan.
You know, Flick handed over the captain's armband to Gundogan before the end of the lesson, and said that he would build the team around the Barcelona midfield in the future. After Nagelsmann took over, he did not reverse his predecessor's decision, and even successfully brought out Gundogan's central position in the two games of his trip to the United States in October last year. Whether it was a victory against the United States or a draw with Mexico, Gundogan played a "core fan" under the protection of Pascal Gross. However, after losing two games in a row to Turkey and Austria in November last year, the coach continued to experiment with different midfield pairings for Gundogan, to great effect.
Against Turkey, Nashija arranged for Gundogan and Kimmich to partner in the back two, and on the contrary, Gundogan was fixed in the No. 6 position, and Kimmich had the freedom to press a lot when attacking, that is, he became No. 8. Against Austria, it was Gundogan's turn to partner with Goretzka in the back two, while Goretzka was fixed in the number 6 position, and Gundogan returned to his freedom to move forward. But either way, Gundogan, Kimmich and Goretzka are not comfortable playing and no one can play at the level they should. Instead, it was against Austria that the Germans' midfield became efficient when Leroy Sane was sent off shortly after the start of the second half, and after Kimmich and Bayer Leverkusen striker Andrich replaced Gundogan and Goretzka in the 61st minute, the Germans were able to play 11 out of 10.
Kimmich back at right-back?
Although the effect of the partnership between Gross and Gundogan can be reaped, it is hard to imagine that Gross, who is only a "rookie" in the German team, will get a priority in the European Championship ahead of Kimmich and Goretzka. Now, with Kroos back and Andrich's form at Bayer Leverkusen after the winter break, Gross is likely to only get further down the playing list. Before Kroos returned, the German team was in the No.6 and No.8 positions, and the challenge was just how to choose the best combination. Now that Cross has returned, instead of solving this problem, it has added to the so-called "happiness troubles".
Wouldn't it be enough to partner the core of Real Madrid's midfield and the core of Barcelona's midfield? Don't forget, in the last European Championship, Loew arranged it like this. In the 343 formation, Kroos played for Gundogan and Kimmich gave way to right wing-back, and the result? Kroos wasted too much energy on the dirty work, his diligence and ferocity surprised almost all the pundits and fans who watched him grow along the way, but his playmaking skills were difficult to play, and even more disappointing was that Gundogan did nothing at all, until he was later pushed to the bench by Goretzka.
In the last European Championship, Kroos partnered with Gundogan, but the effect was not ideal.
Nagelsmann should not be stupid enough to copy this failed plan. So, with Gundogan and Kroos almost certain to occupy the main position, what exactly does Nashija have planned? Since he "teased" Kroos' return in the December episode, we might as well try to find a new halftime answer from the other information he revealed in that episode.
First of all, as for Kimmich's position, Nagelsmann said at the time that he had never ruled out the option of using Kimmich at right-back. However, against Turkey and Austria, Germany actually used three centre-backs (switching between three and four backs), and Nashimo did not try to play Kimmich at right-back (i.e. a right-back with a back four when defending and a right centre-back with three centre-backs when attacking). Assuming that in the following friendlies against France and the Netherlands in March, Nashimo reverts to a serious back four, at least not as much as he did in November – with Kai Havertz at left wing-back and wingers such as Sane Brandt at right-wing-back, then Kimmich's return to right-back is a logical choice.
Turning into a three-midfield structure?
However, when it comes to Kimmich's return to right-back, Nagelsmann is talking about options and possibilities rather than a clear solution. In contrast, he has a clearer and clearer positioning of captain Gundogan, "I think Ilkai will move a little bit forward in the new structure, similar to him at Barcelona, playing in the number eight position. He will be given greater freedom there. The more important message is that Gundogan needs two real No.'s behind him, "which players will give us the toughness we need in a two-man back and a four-man defence, and give a lot of good players in attacking positions to freedom? ”
Kroos and Kimmich could be back in the back two, but that arrangement may not be right for this German team.
Combining these two sentences, we can draw a preliminary conclusion: the German team will change to a three-midfield structure, with Gundogan in front (number 8) and Kroos and another number 6 behind him. Who exactly is the other number 6? Of course, it could be Kimmich, after all, it is a relatively mature scheme for him and Kroos to pair up in a double midfield. After the disastrous defeat at the 2018 World Cup, Loew's reform began with Kimmich switching to the number 6 position as a striker for Kroos. When talking about Kroos' return to the national team not long ago, Kimmich also welcomed it: "Playing with Toni always makes me happy. ”
The problem is that Kimmich is no longer the same as he was when he first switched to midfield for the national team, and is used to having a lot of possession, even the most in the team, rather than focusing on being a hitter for the real ball-handling core. Once he is back with Kroos, Kimmich will have to adapt and change his style of play. And in both games last November, the boss put Kimmich in a more favoured No.8 position than a fixed No.6. In this way, Kimmich is not suitable to be another No.6 in this midfield three, and playing at right-back may help the team more.
Andrich has been in excellent form for Xhaka recently.
Compared with Kimmich, Gross and Andrich, who are blue-collar workers in the true sense, may be more suitable to be the supporting roles and lubricants around Kroos and Gundogan. Andrich, in particular, who has recently regained his form and confidence at Bayer Leverkusen, is not only a spicy style of play, but also a sweeper (in the middle of a three-centre-back system) and experienced as a barrier to the back and as a hitter for the heart of the ball (Xhaka for Bayer Leverkusen). Gross, on the other hand, has a more consistent style of play than Andrich, has more solid passing skills, and has performed better for the national team so far. As for Goretzka, he is more likely to attack from the bench as he has done in the last three tournaments.
The problem of the midfield combination looks to be solved, but adding a midfielder also means reducing a striker. Nagelsmann's first achievement in charge is widely believed to have been the establishment of a front four of Phil Kruger, Leroy Sane, Musiala and Wirtz. But Kroos' return will almost certainly result in the sacrifice of one of Sane, Musiala or Wirtz. With Sane being banned for three games against Austria, it seems that this issue will not be a problem until the European Championships, but it is difficult to say whether the boss will really take this opportunity to give up Sane's important and difficult chess piece directly. One thing is for sure, Germany won't be as reliant on Sane as Tuchel's Bayern Munich did, as Wirtz and Gundogan are not below him in both rank and form.
With Kroos returning, Germany could change to 433 and Leroy Sane will disappear from the squad for at least the next three games.
In short, the knock-on effect of Kroos' return is very large, whether the effect is good or bad, whether it is a timely rain for the German team in dire straits, or simply an increase in traffic, or even a "Titanic signal" as Uli Hoeness said, will not be known until the two games in late March at the earliest.
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