Eddie Howe talked about Sandro Tonali and explains the sparkle of the Italy international.
When the midfielder delivers an under average performance, you really notice it, because of how rare that is.
I often wonder how different the 2023/24 season would have been shown whether Sandro Tonali had been available everywhere.
Undoubtedly the worst season ever for injuries throughout the history of Newcastle United and yet Eddie Howe worked his genius so much, United finished only eight points on drift of the top four.
In the last 12 months we all started to understand how good Sandro Tonali is, so if that is not for that long -term ban in the area, it means that he only started five Premier League matches in 2023/24, what if the Italy Midfieldder had only missed five PL matches that season? I really think he had the difference and would have made for Newcastle to pick up an extra 8+ points that season and to qualify for the Champions League for a second season in a row, instead of an interim year.
Also remember how exhausted a team that we had finally had by the time of that Carabao Cup Quarte final in Chelsea, but still had to win it in December 2024 when they lead with seconds. With Tonali in the team he could have made a difference and it would very likely that Newcastle was seen at home against the second row of Middlesbrough and gone in the semi-final, massive favorites to get a second consecutive Wembley final, again instead of having a gap year.
As soon as his prohibition ended in August 2024 after the first two Premier League matches, Sandro Tonali then played in all remaining 36 Premier League matches and Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League.
Sandro Tonali was taken out for the AFC Wimbledon Cup match, but started in all other six, while United Forest, Chelsea, Brentford, Arsenal (twice) and Liverpool defeated. Six Cup wins against teams that would end in the top half of the Premier League last season and actually five of the victories on clubs that would end in the top seven.
The 25 -year -old is still to reach his peak years as a player, in three years he will turn 28 and he can be even more levels above what he is today.
Like Eddie Howe details, Sandro Tonali can do everything.
Defensive cover, clutch play, creating opportunities, scene goals, while his pace over the turf is simply amazing.
Eddie Howe explains why Sandro Tonali is so good:
“I think he has covered every knife [of grass against Wolves].
“He put a lot of fires out about transitions for us.
“I think he did that very well.
“Sometimes it is not necessarily a quality that immediately registers.
“But the number of times he reads the game reads where the ball will fall and he is there first, then you realize that it is a huge skill of him.
‘His athletics, his speed.
“So defensively I think Sandro is one of the reasons why we have been so strong.
“But of course, the other side of his game, his use of the ball and his creativity, almost scored a great goal for us [against Wolves].
“I thought it was a great achievement [by Sandro Tonali]. “
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