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Hungary Win Shows Toni Kroos Is Germany’s Boss but Doesn’t Answer All Questions
- Updated: June 4, 2016
Germany won their second and final warm-up match before UEFA Euro 2016 on Saturday, beating Hungary 2-0 at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. In many ways, it was a typical pre-tournament friendly against a lowly opponent that never looked to pose a threat to the current World Cup holders.
As so often is the case, the match fizzled out once both teams started to make substitutions in the second half. Players coming on for 30-odd minutes during such a game have their work cut out for them if they’re to impress the head coach and work their way into the starting XI.
Still, there are some things to take away from the match. Perhaps most important: Toni Kroos showed no signs of a UEFA Champions League hangover.
The 26-year-old Real Madrid midfielder only joined the team in the Ascona, Switzerland, training camp on Wednesday. It was almost surprising to see him start and play for 67 minutes before Bastian Schweinsteiger—in his first match since March—replaced him.
Less surprising, Kroos hardly put a foot wrong during his time on the pitch. Playing next to Sami Khedira in the first and Mesut Ozil in the second half, Germany’s No. 18 accumulated 87 touches and completed 93.3 percent of his 75 passes, per WhoScored.com.
Though he wasn’t directly involved in either of the two goals, it was his quickly played pass to Ozil that set the attack before the first goal in motion. That was just one of many intelligent passes through the lines of Hungary’s fairly well-organised defensive structure.
Kroos also put in a lot of good work defensively, which is a must see as the team lacks a defensive-minded No. 6 player shielding the back line.
Kroos looks set to follow up his strong performances during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil two years ago with an even better showing at the Euros. That would come at an opportune time given the question marks surrounding Schweinsteiger’s health and Khedira’s form. Khedira will start next to Kroos in France but it’s unclear how much fans can expect from the 29-year-old after what has been an injury-riddled season with only 25 appearances across competitions.
Kroos might have to carry the midfield on his back for a while in France, but after a strong season crowned with his spectacular performance in the Champions League final—at least during the first period—he looks primed to pull it off.
Having developed further in his two years at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the 26-year-old …
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