Christoph Kramer didn’t bother tiptoeing around it. Standing on pundit duty for Prime Video before Bayern Munich’s clash with Real Madrid, he went straight for the heart of the Spanish giants’ aura of invincibility – and straight for the two men who once defined it.
"Real Madrid have always had players who didn’t cover as much ground. Top teams like Bayern Munich take control of the game," he said, setting the scene. Then came the pivot. "But then it was (Toni) Kroos and (Luka) Modric who turned the game back in their favour. And suddenly a match that seemed unbeatable is turned on its head."
That was the old script. The one Europe knows by heart. Bayern dominate, Real bend but never break, Kroos and Modric start pulling strings in midfield, and a lost cause becomes another Real Madrid epic.
This time, Kramer argued, that script is gone.
Kroos and Modric are no longer under contract with the Royals, and for the former Germany international, that absence changes everything. Not just the rhythm of Real’s midfield, but the psychology of a tie like this.
"They no longer have those two players," Kramer insisted, "and that’s why I believe Real Madrid will find themselves in a sort of vicious circle today. Bayern will play wave after wave and they simply won’t be able to break free."
It was a bold prediction, but not an isolated one. Kramer sees a Real side still stacked with attacking talent, still glamorous, still dangerous in moments – yet missing the cold-blooded control that once allowed them to suffocate pressure and punish opponents at will.
"Although Real still have a strong line-up, particularly in attack, these players cannot decide a match on their own," he said. Then he reached back to a warning he’d already issued. "I said this a year and a half ago: with all the top stars they have, Real Madrid won’t win another big game, and I still stand by that statement."
Across the studio, there was no pushback. No cautious counterpoint. Mats Hummels, another man who knows what it means to suffer against Real in Europe, backed Kramer without hesitation.
There was "100 per cent" agreement from the Borussia Dortmund defender, who shifted the spotlight to a different pillar of Madrid’s recent dominance: Thibaut Courtois.
"A decisive factor in recent years has simply been Thibaut Courtois, who has won them so many matches and titles here," Hummels said. His assessment cut through the usual talk of star forwards and midfield maestros. "He hasn’t received enough credit for that. I’d say he’s single-handedly decided at least two finals, plus matches in the rounds leading up to them."
Courtois has often been the quiet constant in Real’s chaos – the man behind the miracle comebacks, the one who turned impossible nights into trophy parades. His absence, then, is not a footnote. It is a fault line.
Although the Belgian is still under contract at Real, he will miss both Champions League matches against Bayern due to a muscle tear. In his place, Andriy Lunin steps in for Los Blancos, a capable deputy but, in Hummels’ eyes, not a like-for-like replacement.
"Lunin isn’t a bad goalkeeper, but he doesn’t have that quality," Hummels said. "A goalkeeper who keeps you in the game is worth so much."
Strip away Kroos, remove Modric, take Courtois out of the equation. For Kramer and Hummels, you’re not just weakening Real Madrid. You’re cutting into the very spine of what made them Europe’s most feared knockout team.
Bayern sense that. Their former and current Germany internationals certainly do. The question now is whether the new Real – without their old metronomes and without their towering last line – can still bend the game to their will when the waves from Munich start crashing.
