Kroos: Everyone was sorry when Ancelotti left

Toni Kroos says every single player at Real Madrid was sorry to see the departure of coach Carlo Ancelotti this year.

Despite ending Madrid’s long wait for their 10th European title in 2014, Ancelotti was fired by president Florentino Perez after failing to deliver the Liga title or the Copa del Rey last season, with Rafael Benitez installed in his place.

While Benitez has been forced to battle constant rumours of player unrest this season, Cristiano Ronaldo described Ancelotti as “a big bear” in an interview with ESPN and admitted he would relish the chance to play for the former AC Milan head coach again.

And Kroos, who considers Ancelotti to be the perfect example of how to coach a top side, has claimed the Italian continues to be missed in the Madrid dressing room.

“He’s the one coach who best succeeds in combining the key ingredients to success: tactical nous and a humane side, which is far from easy, particularly at Real Madrid,” he told Die Zeit. 

“When he left everyone was sorry and was saddened by it, even those players who weren’t being played. I haven’t got a single bad word to say about him.”

Kroos went on to label Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, who coached him during his final season at the Allianz Arena, as the best when it comes to finding the opposition’s weaknesses.

“He’s the world’s best in terms of analysing the opposition, game preparation and coming up with solutions,” he said of the former Barcelona boss.

The 2014 World Cup-winner considers three facets to be vital to the make-up of any top-level coach, explaining: “Firstly, they need to have a clearly defined footballing philosophy and style of play. Secondly, they must be able to speak to their players, in order to get their message across, whilst at the same time fostering a good team spirit. Thirdly, they have to be successful.”