Barcelona left the Metropolitano with a win that took them clear at the top of La Liga, but it was the way Atlético Madrid got through to goal that caught Toni Kroos’s eye. The former Real Madrid midfielder discussed Hansi Flick’s side on his Einfach mal Luppen podcast.
Barcelona came from behind to win 2–1 on matchday 12, with Lamine Yamal creating chances throughout. For Kroos, the game also showed what Europe’s best teams could do to Barcelona once they played through the initial press.
“With this style, it’s very difficult for Barcelona to win the Champions League,” Kroos said. “They always rely on creating more chances than their opponents, and that becomes harder against teams that can score several goals or defend exceptionally well.”
“Once a team plays through Barcelona’s press, there’s suddenly a huge amount of space to attack,” he added. “The problem is that the defenders need real pace to get back and deal with all that space.”
“Barcelona don’t have a defender like Upamecano. You can leave him one-on-one with 30 metres of space behind him and trust him to handle it,” Kroos continued. “With players like Cancelo and Gerard Martín, it’s much harder.”
Kroos singled out Pau Cubarsí for praise. “For me, he’s Barcelona’s best defender by a long way. He’s strong one-on-one and has the pace to deal with difficult situations.”
“Lamine Yamal’s first 25 minutes against Atlético were exceptional in every sense,” he added. “I felt he could turn the game around on his own. Almost every dangerous Barcelona attack went through him.”
