According to reports, Real Madrid once again succumbed to Barcelona in El Clasico and will finish La Liga far below expectations. Results that even last season’s star player Toni Kroos criticized, discussing his feelings about the match and the disappointing season of Ancelotti’s squad in his podcast.

Kroos first spoke about Real’s brilliant start in El Clasico: “This is my general feeling about this season. Even after the 2-0 lead, I doubted that the game would turn in Real Madrid’s favor. In my opinion, reaching a 2-0 lead was a gift from Barcelona.”

The former German star also praised Barcelona’s performance and was impressed by the ease of their counterattacks under Flick. Kroos said: “This is truly remarkable about Barcelona. They continue to play as if nothing has happened. There is no fear of losing in them. It was clear that Real Madrid still had doubts after that 2-0 lead.”

According to Kroos, everything comes down to the confidence Barcelona players currently have. He continued: “They play very comfortably with the ball. On the other hand, Real Madrid does not enter the game with the best confidence, and what was surprising was that after that lead, they didn’t capitalize on it. That was really surprising.”

Kroos analyzed the main problems Real Madrid faced this season, emphasizing the absence of key defenders and the team’s structure: “You have almost lost your entire defensive line. Now you expect Real Madrid to be a team that builds from the back, and for that, you need players who can do that. Most teams press you high, and that’s why competing with the best this year has been very difficult.”

Kroos also criticized the lack of player rotation and the excessive number of matches as consequences of poor results: “This season was very exhausting. It’s clear that many players had to play almost all the matches. You lose matches that you never used to lose before. When things don’t go well, this issue is felt more in this club.”

After the knockout match against Manchester City, Kroos became slightly hopeful and thought Real could return to a good level of play. He added: “The necessary improvement that I could feel was not there. It can always happen. We had a similar season in 2019. There are times when you experience such a season. If they act cautiously in the summer, I think Real Madrid will return to the place it has had in recent years and where it belongs.”