Kiyan, Sid, Lucas, Mehedi are here with pre-game thoughts.
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Live from the Bernabeu: El Clasico Pre-game

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Sports

Soccer

In this special episode, we’re joined by Jarod Hector, a Madridista and podcaster for True Hoop to pay tribute to the legendary Toni Kroos as he hangs up his boots. We dive deep into Kroos’ immense impact on Real Madrid and the German National Team’s tactical identity, as he brought control to teams that traditionally preferred more heavy metal, transition-focused approaches to the game. Jarod helps us contrast Kroos and Luka Modric with their predecessors, Mesut Özil and Xabi Alonso. We also explore how Florentino Pérez’s crucial improvements as club president during the Kroos era laid the foundation for an unprecedented period of success.
From the historic threepeat to Kroos’ ability to carry the team in the post-Ronaldo seasons, we leave no stone unturned in our analysis of his legacy. We focus on Kroos’ unique ability to control the game and process information on the pitch relative to other greats like Xavi, Busquets and Thiago.
Looking ahead, we evaluate Real Madrid’s squad depth and the daunting task of replacing a player of Kroos’ caliber. The conversation then ends by touching on the NBA playoffs and the rise of Luka Doncic, as we explore the fascinating concept of subjective time and cognitive processing speeds in sports.

TIMESTAMPS:
2:29 - Introducing Jarod and Truehoop
6:10 - How Kroos shifted Real Madrid’s tactical identity after Mourinho
10:13 - Kroos, Guardiola and Germany’s shifting identity
12:50 - Contrasting Ozil and Xabi Alonso with Kroos and Modric
18:41 - Makelele, Tchouameni, and Florentino’s crucial improvements as club president during the Kroos era
27:09 - Kroos’ impact on Real Madrid’s tactics in 2014-15
35:19 - The threepeat years and switching play
37:50 - Carrying during the post-Ronaldo seasons under Zidane
41:58 - The de and re-optimization of Kroos under Carlo Ancelotti
50:37 - Kroos’ hall of fame controlling & cognitive processing skills
1:03:54 - Real Madrid’s squad depth heading into the new season
1:16:33 - Best controlling midfielders of the 21st century
1:25:35 - Replacing Toni Kroos
1:34:36 - Subjective time and cognitive processing speeds
1:42:26 - Luka Doncic & the NBA Playoffs

The Real Deal is a small Managing Madrid spinoff show that hosts podcasts that go up on our Spotify feed. Find them on X, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok at @realdealpods for more takes and banter between episodes!

Did you enjoy this podcast? Get a ton of bonus content exclusively on Patreon.com/ManagingMadrid.
Join our Real Madrid Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/rTD2PmE26f
Managing Madrid is a hub for all Madridistas with updated news, op-eds, tactical analyses, artwork, and of course, podcasts. It also serves as a means for Real Madrid fans to connect and discuss the team. We would like your support so that we can continue to produce podcasts for you.
The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going.
Hosts this week:
Siddharth Ramsundar (@TacticalFouling)
Jarod Hector (@jshector)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toni Kroos Career Retrospective

Welcome back to our “The Making of Peñas” series where we go over the origin stories of these official Real Madrid recognized fan clubs around the world.
In this episode Mehedi gets into the fascinating origin story of Peña Madridista Toronto with fellow founding members.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Best cheese slice in the World is in Canada!
02:00 - Mehedi’s jinxing abilities at Real Madrid’s live screenings
03:20 - The origin of Peña Madridista Toronto from Victor and Michael
10:00 - The process of becoming a Peña
16:00 - Future plans of Peña Madridista Toronto
18:45 - How Victor Alvarez and Michael Silva became Madrid fans
24:00 - How Real Madrid was perceived as a ‘formerly great club’ in the 90s and how the times have changed
28:00 - The state of Canadian football in the grand scheme of things
33:00 - Where to watch Real Madrid games in Toronto
The Real Deal is a small Managing Madrid spinoff show that hosts podcasts that go up on our Spotify feed. Find them on X, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok at @realdealpods for more takes and banter between episodes!

Did you enjoy this podcast? Get a ton of bonus content exclusively on Patreon.com/ManagingMadrid.
Join our Real Madrid Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/rTD2PmE26f
Managing Madrid is a hub for all Madridistas with updated news, op-eds, tactical analyses, artwork, and of course, podcasts. It also serves as a means for Real Madrid fans to connect and discuss the team. We would like your support so that we can continue to produce podcasts for you.
The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going.
Host this week:
Mehedi Hassan (@MHassanFootball)
Peña Madridista Toronto (@PenaRM_Toronto)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Real Deal Pods: The Making of Peña Madridista Toronto

On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani talks about:


Toni Kroos's all-time CV

Where does he rank all time?

Was this his best season ever?

Debunking Kroos criticisms

Why his passing accuracy is more impressive than you realize

His improvement on defense in the last two years

Will Carlo Ancelotti shift back to a 4-3-3

And more.


Did you enjoy this podcast? Get a ton of bonus content exclusively on Patreon.com/ManagingMadrid.


Managing Madrid is a hub for all Madridistas with updated news, op-eds, tactical analyses, artwork, and of course, podcasts. It also serves as a means for Real Madrid fans to connect and discuss the team. We would like your support so that we can continue to produce podcasts for you.
The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going.
Hosts this week:
Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toni Kroos Tribute

You can donate to Support Om Arvind's Legacy in Soccer Here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-om-arvinds-legacy-in-soccer

On this episode of the Managing Madrid Podcast, Kiyan Sobhani, Mehedi Hassan, and Hridyam Arora discuss:


A tribute to Om Arvind

Arda Guler’s performance and Sorloth leading the Pichichi race

Overall performance from Real Madrid vs Villarreal

Eder Militao’s performance 

Andriy Lunin / Thibaut Courtois for the Champions League Final 

Expected lineup vs. Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund

And more.


Did you enjoy this podcast? Get a ton of bonus content exclusively on Patreon.com/ManagingMadrid.



Managing Madrid is a hub for all Madridistas with updated news, op-eds, tactical analyses, artwork, and of course, podcasts. It also serves as a means for Real Madrid fans to connect and discuss the team. We would like your support so that we can continue to produce podcasts for you.
The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going.
Hosts this week:
Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo)
Mehedi Hassan (@MHassanFootball)
Hridyam Arora (@hridarora22)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Villarreal Post-game Dedicated To Om Arvind

Welcome to the first episode of a new Managing Madrid x Real Deal Pods series “The Making of Peñas” where we go over the origin stories of these official Real Madrid recognized fan clubs around the world.
This episode gets into the fascinating origin story of Peña Madridista Bangladesh, challenges faced by the founders in getting their peña officially recognized by the club, how Mehedi got kicked out of the group multiple times before it was recognized, the perks of being a peña and the sense of camaraderie that comes with it, and more.
TIMESTAMPS:  
1:25: Introducing the new series “The Making of Peñas”
2:45: Origin story of Peña Madridista Bangladesh 
5:00: The challenges to get it recognized 
8:30: The flex of Madridismo and UCL finals 
12:00: The bond among members of Peña Madridista Bangladesh 
13:50: Perks of being a Peñista 
15:40: What would happen if Sid and Mehedi voted on important Real Madrid matters 
16:45: The 92:48 Podcast 
17:50: The ease of commonalities among Peñas 
20:00: The unique name of Peña Madridista Bangladesh 
21:00: Best place to watch a CL final in Dhaka & Bangladesh’s rich food culture



The Real Deal is a small Managing Madrid spinoff show that hosts podcasts that go up on our Spotify feed. Find them on X, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok at @realdealpods for more takes and banter between episodes!

Did you enjoy this podcast? Get a ton of bonus content exclusively on Patreon.com/ManagingMadrid.
Join our Real Madrid Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/rTD2PmE26f
Managing Madrid is a hub for all Madridistas with updated news, op-eds, tactical analyses, artwork, and of course, podcasts. It also serves as a means for Real Madrid fans to connect and discuss the team. We would like your support so that we can continue to produce podcasts for you.
The site is run by a small team that works tirelessly around the clock to make it into what it is today. Your contributions will allow us to continue to have a real and full-time presence in keeping this website, and it’s podcasts, going.
Hosts this week:
Siddharth Ramsundar (@TacticalFouling)
Mehedi Hassan (@MHassanFootball)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from the Bernabeu: El Clasico Pre-game

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