Real Madrid legend Kroos claims Barcelona pair are ‘much better’ than teammate Araújo | OneFootball

Former Real Madrid star Toni Kroos has this weekend weighed in on the situation at the heart of defence in fellow countryman Hansi Flick’s Barcelona squad.

This, of course, comes amid a week which has seen as much take its place front and centre in the headlines across Spain.

Barcelona marked their return to action on the continent on Tuesday, making the trip to Italy for a Champions League semi-final 2nd-leg showdown with Inter Milan.

When all was said and done, the Blaugrana were sent packing from the competition, owing to a 4-3 defeat on the night.

And it was one of the club’s central defenders, in Ronald Araújo, who was quickly singled out as heavily to blame for Barca’s treble chase coming to an end.

The Uruguayan was introduced off the bench at San Siro with Iñigo Martínez struggling, but failed to cover himself in glory for either Inter’s third or decisive fourth goals of the clash.

And one individual who was not entirey surprised by such developments, as alluded to above, was Toni Kroos.

Speaking during the latest episode of his personal podcast, ‘Einfach mal Luppen’ (as cited by Mundo Deportivo), this weekend, ex-Real Madrid midfielder Kroos revealed his opinion that:

“Iñigo Martínez and Cubarsí are much better than Araujo, but they don’t have the speed, and then it’s an even bigger risk when they beat you. That was the risk they took, and it’s given them a lot of success and impressive victories, but as I thought, the day would come when that risk would be punished, and it happened with Inter.”

Conor Laird – GSFN