FanPost

How to Incorporate Our Newest Signings: Part 1 of 2

With the announcement of the signing of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez, the question now is how will they be incorporated into the team. Both of my ideas will require the players to adapt to a new role, thus making their first months potentially difficult, but I believe it will be worth it in the long term.

I believe that Kroos should be incorporated into a role similar to Xabi Alonso's role in our current IX. It will take time to improve his defensive ability and positioning, so I wouldn't expect him to start in this position, but with time, he has the ability to be better than Xabi Alonso. For one, Toni is of similar height to Xabi Alonso (182cm), and thus capable of winning defensive headers. Physically Kroos is not fast, and is better suited for the CDM role in Real Madrid's 4-3-3. One of the best aspects of our team last year was Di Maria's speed, and by placing Kroos in his role we would lose this crucial aspect of our game. Technically , Kroos is very similar to Xabi. Toni's ability to turn out of pressure and execute a perfect long pass is very similar to Xabi, as is his short passing and vision. Toni has better dribbling ability than Xabi, and this would help him move out of the defensive third with the ball and relieve pressure. Toni also possesses a cracking long shot, and this would also add another dimension to our play, as the opposition defence will be afraid to stay compact when Kroos has the ball, as he can score from long range, causing the defence to close him down, creating space for our attackers.

By moving Kroos to the CDM role, we leave the door open for Isco to break into the first team and for Di Maris to stay. Part 2 talking about James Rodriguez's potential position in the team will be written shortly.