Asier Illarramendi's Emergence Could Be Blocked by the Evolution of Toni Kroos

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has had some interesting things to say on Asier Illarramendi this season, both positive and perplexing. 

"Illarramendi brought balance [to the team]," the Italian said of the midfielder's performance when used as a second-half substitute in the 8-2 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna, per Marca.

Just a week later, Ancelotti had another round of praise for the Spaniard following his cool display under pressure when brought on to quell the threat posed by Villarreal. 

"We put Illarra in to avoid risks," the manager remarked after the clash at El Madrigal, per Inside Spanish Football. "He's more defensive-minded than James [Rodriguez]. We wanted to control the game, and he showed he was up to the task. He helped us come back in the game."

Ancelotti clearly recognises that the 24-year-old stands as a point of difference in Real Madrid's squad, making note of commodities provided by his presence such as "balance" and "control." The issue for Illarramendi is whether that difference is enough to earn him more than substitute minutes—a problem the manager alluded to last month, per Ben Hayward of Goal.com, when he was asked about the defensive midfielder.

"All he needs is a coach who picks him," the 55-year-old said.  

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

That trio of quotes from the Madrid boss—all made in the space of eight days—neatly encapsulate Illarramendi's predicament at the Bernabeu. He's the contrasting piece in the squad who complements his team-mates, a potential solution to Los Blancos' one-way identity, but still sits uncomfortably on the periphery.

Such a situation, on the face of it, makes little sense. But things at Real Madrid, a club bound to its own set of rules and uninterested in conventional wisdom, rarely do.

In the Spanish capital, consistently starting Illarramendi might even be viewed as a lamentable concession that Los Blancos can't play the game their own way; an admission that they too, regardless of their power, must fall into line with the sport's basic principles.

This is a club that has never really wanted to defend and protect. And one senses they don't want to start now.  

David Ramos/Getty Images

In that regard, it's Ancelotti's grooming of one of his attacking stars, Toni Kroos, into an adapted holding midfielder that could stand as one of Illarramendi's biggest obstacles at Real Madrid. 

Despite arriving from Bavaria as a smooth No. 10, the German's game is being remoulded in Spain to cover the departure of Xabi Alonso to Kroos' former club, Bayern Munich.

Admittedly, the initiative is very much a work in progress, a project with considerable development to come. But now positioned as the deepest member of Ancelotti's preferred midfield alongside Luka Modric and James Rodriguez, there's already a distinct and growing sense of "Alonso 2.0" about Kroos at the Bernabeu even if the player himself doesn't enjoy the comparisons. 

David Ramos/Getty Images

Certainly, Illarramendi could be excused for feeling a little miffed that his suitability for the anchor role is being trumped by his counterpart's adaptability. It was Alonso's exit, after all, that was supposed to give the Basque midfielder the opportunity to justify his £34 million price tag that's been made to look extremely expensive thus far.

Yet if Kroos' evolution to a deeper role continues, it has to be questioned whether the former Real Sociedad star will ever enjoy that chance. Whether it's from President Florentino Perez or the manager, there's a clear directive at the Bernabeu to build an XI that not only dominates, but also facilitates the progress of each and every one of the club's marquee signings, of which Kroos is one. 

And Ancelotti, in his short time at the helm of Real Madrid, as pointed out by ESPN FC's Lee Roden, has rarely opted for conservatism, highlighted by last season's positioning of the athletically declining Alonso as his sole pivot and Angel Di Maria's switch to a central midfielder. 

Such an enterprising approach—one that's represented a deviation from the Italian's more defensive roots—isn't a trend that's likely to lead to significant minutes for Illarramendi as he attempts to fast-track his own development.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

The transformation of Kroos into a new-wave Alonso is more troubling for the young Spaniard when one considers how he struggled to form a cohesive partnership with his now-departed senior last term. The dynamic between Illarramendi and Alonso never quite clicked for Ancelotti—it was either one or the other, and the 32-year-old was always winning that battle. 

The same issue is likely to present itself with the German, whose passing range, like Alonso's, is superior to that of his Spanish teammate, while the World Cup winner also requires the sort of athleticism around him that Illarramendi can't provide, harming the potential of a central partnership. 

That's left the club's only true holding midfielder in direct competition with an evolving and more aesthetically pleasing Kroos, pitting him in another battle he may never win. 

So until he finds "a coach who picks him," as Ancelotti pointed out, Illarramendi might continue to sit in the shadows as a scarcely seen player of contrast, underused as a possible solution to Real Madrid's defensive flaws as the club plays to its own rules.