Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos sends a message to Carlo Ancelotti with criticism of tactics

Real Madrid Midfielder Toni Kroos has never been afraid to speak his mind, and it was clear that, in his opinion, manager Carlo Ancelotti got it wrong against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night. Los Blancos went 2-1 up on aggregate but hung on to their advantage for most of the match, and were relieved when the referee blew the final whistle.

Ancelotti surprised many by going with a line-up with five midfielders, with Fede Valverde on the right of midfield, and Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham the most advanced, leaving Rodrygo Goes in the process. After the match, Kroos praises Leipzig but admits his side's form didn't help.

“Leipzig played well, they defended very well and through their defense they were able to create good counterattacks. We knew they could be dangerous. Up to a certain point, we were good with the ball, but we didn't have enough people in front to be dangerous” .

There was little attempt to hide that this was far from a vintage Real Madrid night in Europe.

“The result is one thing, how we play is another. At half time we feel good about the result, but not about the way we played. The second half was a little better, but still not good enough to say we deserve to be in the next round. We didn't do well, but we're in the quarterfinals,” he said AS Diary.

Kroos' criticism was not unique. Ancelotti himself admitted that he would not have lined up in the same way in hindsight, and that if he had made all the changes he wanted to at half-time, he would have also stuck the manager. However, Blancos live to fight in the quarter-finals.