'Tie his shoes together': Spain seeks strategy to stop Kroos

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said La Roja may need to get creative to stop Germany’s “brutality” Toni Kroos in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Friday in Stuttgart.

“We thought about tying Kroos’ feet, but I’m not sure UEFA will allow me to do that,” the 63-year-old coach joked in Stuttgart on Thursday. “We know how Kroos behaves. We will try to make sure he has no chance of receiving the ball and limit his passing possibilities. We will appeal to UEFA to see if we can tie him up.”

Spain go into Friday’s clash as the only team at Euro 2024 to have won all their games, with four victories from four.

Hosts Germany are not far behind, however, with three wins and a draw en route to the quarter-finals.

De la Fuente called Kroos “a world-class player, a footballer playing at a brutal level.”
“He brought talent, charisma and quality to the dressing room. The confidence he gives to the other players is contagious and has been very good for Germany. It’s a shame he’s leaving football because I love watching him play.”

Germany and Spain are tied as the most successful teams in Euro history, having both won three European titles.

The Spanish coach said, however, that Friday’s winner would not become the favourite to win the final in Berlin on July 14.

“No, there are other strong teams. Nothing is free here: the closer we get to the final, the more the best remain. We don’t see ourselves as favourites, we see ourselves as a strong team that wants to fight for everything and fight until the end.”

Captain of Germany Ilkay Gündogan said a passionate crowd in Stuttgart “could make the difference” between the two in-form teams in the competition, but de la Fuente said it could work to Spain’s advantage.

“At this level, home advantage doesn’t have much influence. My players are professionals and won’t be intimidated by a hostile environment. Sometimes that factor works against the home team.”

Captain of Spain Dani Carvajalwho played alongside Kroos at Real for a decade, said he “hasn’t spoken to him – I’ll wait until tomorrow”.

“As the manager said, I hope we can keep him. It will be a very special game for him.”
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