Toni Kroos has admitted that he did not know much about the position played by Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid prior to his arrival last summer.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder effectively swapped clubs with the Spaniard at the beginning of the season and confessed he was more accustomed to playing further forward but nonetheless thanked Coach Carlo Ancelotti for trusting him in a deeper role.
“It’s been a good start for me [at Madrid]. I have been here a while now, so [my start] is in the past,” he told UEFA’s official website.
“It’s gone well from the off. For the time being, we are first in our league and still in the race for the Champions League, and I hope we will be successful.
“As far as I am concerned, I hope to contribute to that success.
“[Carlo] trusted me from the beginning in a position where I hadn’t played that much, which was nonetheless in midfield.
“I enjoy playing in this position. Our relationship is good. We communicate a lot before each game.
“We discuss how I have to approach each game according to the opponent we’re facing.
“I still don’t know every team that well, which is normal. But he tries to fill in the gaps.
“He’s also one of the reasons I came here – I think it's normal to talk with the coach before taking that step.
“He gave me a positive impression and told me Madrid would be even stronger with me in their ranks. It was obviously a good conversation.”
