This figure speaks for itself.

Arsenal completed just 150 passes tonight. Toni Kroos completed 144 all on his own. pic.twitter.com/oiGFm42rL0 — Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 19, 2014

The mitigating factors here bring this back to life, somewhat. Kroos of course was not operating in a closed system. He had help. With Robben bombing down the right, Thiago providing calm, assured assistance and his back line upright as it gets, Kroos’ support system was (and is consistently) the best in the world at present.

But let’s also look at the concrete details. Kroos attempted 149 passes and missed on just five. Importantly, they were all adventurous attempts in the attacking third, none of which were inherently detrimental to the build-up. He’s an absolute metronome, sweeping possession from left to right in equal measure. He’s almost a cyborg in that way. Even the best midfielders tend to favor a certain side, which makes them more predictable and easy to gameplan. Kroos? None of that. Wherever he pops up, he’s just as likely to fold the field on itself and show up in its opposite space.

Early on, when Bayern looked its shakiest and Arsenal glimpsed its only path out of the shadow (which closed when Mesut Ozil botched his penalty), Kroos was more or less the one consistent piece of the puzzle. This is as good an illustration as any.

This is in the game’s opening 10 minutes, and Kroos, who’s circled, has possession. As you can see, (from left to right) each of Alaba, Robben, Martinez, Mandzukic and Goetze dove toward the box, uncharacteristic for a team that recently became famous for this lovely illustration of Pep Guardiola’s insistence on circling Philipp Lahm with beautifully woven triangles.

Early on, Bayern’s ethos was hurried and frantic, and Kroos leveled off the team’s nerves and brought them back into the game. Kroos, shrewdly, slows down play and turns toward the sucking void in the center of the field where Goetze has just now realized he should be. Kroos knew this already. It’s why he holds up play, cuts inside and waits for Goetze to check back in.

This has become a recurring theme for Bayern. When the weeds creep in, defer to Kroos and allow him to dictate the pace. It’s uncanny how often he provides tangibly effective answers. To wit, a massive reason Bayern was able to settle in after a wobbly curtain opening was Kroos’ reserve and tact. It was remarkable to watch him rip off the training wheels once his teammates began encircling him and playing off the backboard he provides.

And, of course, this. There is no particular reason for this to exist in a cold, largely lifeless vacuum. You hear the decadence of bow on string and see a meadow in full bloom and wonder if Kroos knows he’s penning poems with his feet.