Toni Kroos was taken aback after reviewing Manchester City’s 3-0 win against Manchester United and coming across a statistic that pertained to how Pep Guardiola’s side played on Sunday.
After managing him at Bayern Munich, Guardiola holds Kroos in high esteem — who went on to become one of the smartest players the game has ever seen before he announced his retirement last year.
The German knows the ins and outs of how Pep Guardiola approaches the game and as a result, the 35-year-old must keep a close eye on City ever since he decided to hang up his boots.
The metrics from the Sky Blues’ latest victory indicated that the hosts embraced going from direct, with Gianluigi Donnarumma’s passing stats against Manchester United being far from flawless.
As Toni Kroos saw the statistics from derby day, he had a lot to say about City as a side.
Toni Kroos playing for Real Madrid in a charity game
Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images
Toni Kroos stunned Man City had less possession than Man United in the derby
Kroos admitted that discovering that Manchester City had less possession than Manchester United sums up how much they have changed as a side.
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The World Cup winner is of the opinion that the statistic shows that the English giants are no longer the same force of nature.
The decorated midfielder’s words hold weight, with Rodri admitting to idolise Kroos — who commented on the Einfach mal Luppen podcast: “It’s not the same machine. Still a top team, still much better than United, but not overwhelming anymore.”
“And when you see a stat like possession 55–45 against City, that says a lot. That never happens in the Guardiola era. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, but I don’t think Pep has suddenly changed his philosophy. Normally when City go ahead, they dominate possession even more.”
The Greifswald-born icon’s record under Pep Guardiola indicates why his observations are worth looking into.
Toni Kroos record under Pep Guardiola
Kroos spent a season playing under Guardiola at Bayern Munich.
However, the veteran was still hugely influential to how the Catalan’s side played.
The Real Madrid legend played 51 games under Pep Guardiola.
TONI KROOS’ RECORD UNDER PEP GUARDIOLA
GAMES 51
WINS 41
DRAWS 4
LOSSES 6
TROPHIES 2
The six-time Champions League winner won 41, drew four and lost just six games during the campaign while winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.
As a result, Kroos’ comments about Manchester City’s decline after having faced them 12 times as well hold weight as he broken down their performance against Manchester United.