Real Madrid legend Tony Croos has praised Jose Mourinho’s tactical work after a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in El Classico, stressing that the Portuguese coach’s strategy was crucial to the master’s triumph.

The former German midfielder analysed the presentation of Real Madrid at Camp Nou, praising the team’s courage, defensive organisation and the way the players managed to exploit the weaknesses of the Catalon rivals.

Kroos thought Barcelona had dominated the recent confrontations between the two teams, but stressed that this time the situation was completely different.

Over the past two years, El Classico has gone in favor of Barcelona. Unfortunately, this was the case in the last six or seven confrontations, and we expected that before the match, considering that Madrid had on average accepted four goals at those meetings, Kroos said.

But things have changed, and I must commend Mourinho’s work. They played great and he prepared a great plan. Playing ball against this Barcelona is a big accomplishment because the Catalonians have difficulty not controlling their possession, the German added.

Croos also stopped at the mathematician’s tactical organization, isolating the way the team neutralized some of Barcelona’s leading players.

Real Madrid’s players were well placed. I was surprised to see Huijsen covering Fermin. Football players like Pedri and Raphael seemed uncomfortable, and Madrid forced them to make mistakes they usually do not make.

Real Madrid won almost all the fights because it was more intense. The team was protected by both a united group and developed an excellent presentation, both in a defensive and ball game, he continued.

However, the former midfielder did not hesitate to assess Barcelona as the team that currently plays the most dominant football, but also identified the Catalan’s main weakness.

Barcelona is the best football team because it can dominate the games more than Madrid. However, they have difficulties when their prey is not functioning and are forced to defend themselves.

Real Madrid found solutions to defeat. Barcelona faced a real prey, something not usually experienced by other teams, Croos concluded.

The 2-1 victory in El Klasico was an important success for Real Madrid, while Croos analysis highlights Mourinho’s influence in tactical preparation and organisation of the team in front of the life rival. /Telegraphy/