Guardiola's ‘performance’ with Toni Kroos
There were some intriguing scenes after the game at the Bernabéu as Pep Guardiola and Toni Kroos shared a chat outside the dressing room in the presence of cameras and journalists – the content of which nobody knows. Watching the footage, it seems the episode was instigated by Guardiola and was a destabilizing act planned by the Man City coach himself, with a player he coached at Bayern and whose absence from the game had shocked everyone.
Zidane regularly reveals a surprise with his line-ups but this was one of the biggest. Kroos was somewhat off the pace last season but this season he has been playing very well. However, he was taken off at half time against Atlético and on Wednesday did not feature at all in a game that was of the highest stakes.
Fede Valverde was slack (he seems to feel less secure playing on the left), the team fell apart and Kroos didn't even warm up. Is there something strange going on there? I don’t think so. I just think that Zidane has many means at his disposal and against City wanted to take advantage of the fact that Isco has more goals than the rest. But the scene with Guardiola has added intrigue to the matter. Let’s see what happens with the Clásico this weekend.
Getafe beat Ajax in Europa league
But the news of the week is perhaps Getafe’s qualification for the last 16 of the Europa League after winning the Round-of-32 tie against Ajax. It was an incredible result for a club that already reached the quarters of the competition a few years ago, where they lost to Bayern.
Fifth in LaLiga, Getafe lived up to their position with the performance against Ajax. The Madrid-based side won the first leg 2-0. And although Ajax won the second leg 2-1, Getafe could have very well been victorious as they hit the woodwork on three occasions. Regardless, they go through 3-2 on aggregate.
Sevilla also go through, albeit after a disturbing 0-0 draw at home against Cluj. Meanwhile, Espanyol restored some honour with a 3-2 win in the second leg against Wolves after the English side won the first game 4-0.