If there is one thing that Bayern Munich star Leroy Sané can pinpoint as a reason why the German national team has been successful (so far) at the EURO 2024 competition, it would be the presence of former Real Madrid star Toni Kroos in the central midfield.
“Everyone knows what quality Toni has. Before, we weren’t always stable enough, that was a big weakness of ours. He took away that weakness — with the calmness that he brings with him. Now you can see that things are going well. We are happy that he has come back and is making us stronger,” Sané said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
While Kroos has definitely stabilized the central midfield, those words could potentially be spun into a critique of players like Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka — two of Sané’s Bayern Munich teammates — along with İlkay Gündoğan, who all played significant roles for Germany in the central midfield when Kroos initially stepped down from the German national team.
Regardless, Kroos’ impact cannot be argued or debated. His presence has absolutely bolstered the squad.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s 2-0 victory over Denmark? Good, then we have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show where we cover the starting lineup selection, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and takes on how it all played out. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: