Kroos: To a man, Real Madrid have failed to reach our best level Champions League Knocked out for first time since 2015

Bernd Schuster has been critical of Toni Kroos of late, and the German midfielder has admitted that Real Madrid, to a man, failed to reach their best level in a 4-1 defeat to Ajax.

Kroos' passing was uncharacteristically poor on Tuesday evening, with the Madrid midfield simply unable to cope with Ajax's attacking movement.

"To a man, we've failed to reach our best level," he explained in an interview with COPE, "[and] I'm the first to admit that."

"I think we've played well in the Copa del Rey, but when you get a 3-0 defeat it's always difficult.

After being eliminated from the Champions League for the first time since 2015, there is a sense that Tuesday evening marked the end of a cycle for Los Merengues.

"It's normal for you to have a bad year," he admitted.

"What's not normal is what we've done over the course of the past three years.

"We also suffered last year and had some good games this year."

Ajax must be commended for their own efforts, though, with Frenkie de Jong looking like the perfect midfielder to succeed at Barcelona, and Kroos believes that the Dutch giants were worthy of their victory.

"We're disappointed, but I think Ajax were the best team today," he confirmed.

"They were also better in the first leg.

"It's difficult, but we have to accept the fact that they deserve to be in the quarter-final."