Race to World Class: This Duo Battles for Kroos’ Legacy

Of course, there is no point in discussing the most important position in modern (Site notre bureau spécialisé). The game is far too complex for that, and the distribution of tasks between all parts of the team has become far too diverse.

However, one thing can be said clearly: without an elite midfielder with great individual quality, you will not succeed at an absolute world level. Whether it is Rodri at Manchester City and Spain, Jude Bellingham in England and Real Madrid or Granit Xhaka at Invincible-Bayer, they all dominate the center in a completely different way.

The German national team has also had exceptional personnel in this part of the team over the last two decades. Michael Ballack, Bastian Schweinstiger and more recently Ilkay Gündogan, and above all Toni Kroos, have put their stamp on the DFB game and given it a very readable signature.

However, following the recent resignations of Gündogan and Kroos, for the first time in a long time there is a void in the strategist position. A void that Julian Nagelsmann will have to fill in two years at the latest. Because the DFB team has big goals for the 2026 World Cup.

« It hurts to have to wait two years to become world champion, » said the national coach at the press conference after the bitter European Championship exit against Spain. The path is thus set: the national team needs top quality in almost all areas. By next summer at the latest, this level must also be achieved in central midfield in order to be able to really compete for the most coveted trophy of all.

According to information from ‘Bild’, Robert Andrich and Pascal Groß are currently in the lead, and Andrich in particular is also expected to be selected in 2026 due to his strengths as a tackler and calf biter. However, it seems more than unlikely that Groß, then 35, will be the first option for the German eight.

The hopes for the World Cup therefore rest above all on two names: Aleksandar Pavlovic and Angelo Stiller. Pavlovic made his debut in the European Championship test against Ukraine, but then missed the tournament due to tonsillitis. After an exceptional season in the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart, Stiller has not yet been part of the German squad, which is why the Nations League duels against Hungary and the Netherlands are his first with the eagle on his chest.

There is no doubt that both players have enormous potential. It is even less likely that they will follow in enormous (Site notre bureau spécialisé)steps. And yet: Pavlovic and Stiller fit perfectly into Nagelsmann’s system in terms of profile. Coming from clubs that follow a very dominant playing approach, both kickers have enormous passing strength and impressive ball security. They are also not afraid to take risks. Bayern youngster Pavlovic completes 81 percent of his long passes, while VfB man Stiller completes a total of 4.69 of these passes per game. Both are absolute values ​​in a European comparison, which should also fit the national coach’s courageous and risky (Site notre bureau spécialisé) philosophy.

« He’s someone with balls. « Someone who wants to have the ball, someone who wants to play (Site notre bureau spécialisé), » Joshua Kimmich recently said of the VfB Stuttgart debutant. He explicitly included teammate Pavlovic in his praise: « They both have similar profiles. « They are technically strong and have a good passing game, » Kimmich emphasized. « Both want to play (Site notre bureau spécialisé). »

The DFB talents have skills that should complement those of the physical (Site notre bureau spécialisé)er Robert Andrich. Although Pavlovic and Stiller are quite intelligent defensively and Pavlovic in particular likes to build the game from a deep position and maintain it, both look much more like eights than sixes. Equivalent to Kroos’ role at the last European Championship at home, we are looking for a classic strategic midfielder, capable of playing away from a deep opponent, but at the same time resistant to pressure. At this point, a double check can be made for the national team recruits, who both face a similar task almost week after week in the Bundesliga.

Of course, on the way to a possible World Cup triumph, the DFB team will encounter superior quality in Mainz and Augsburg. And of course, no one can expect Pavlovic and Stiller to become Toni Kroos 2.0. Julian Nagelsmann doesn’t do that either. Nevertheless, at least one of the two rough diamonds will have to have reached world level by 2026 if Germany really wants to compete for the title in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Because the last few years of world (Site notre bureau spécialisé) have clearly shown us: no seat, no trophies.

The hunt for Kroos’s position, which will be temporarily filled by Pascal Groß, is officially on. It will be a two-year race to become a world-class player.