Plenty of Newcastle United players are coming under scrutiny lately, and rightly so. But, it’s Sandro Tonali who fans are most concerned over.
The win over Burnley saw strong performances from Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, Lewis Miley and Lewis Hall. But, question marks were raised over Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali.
We need to talk about Sandro Tonali….
Newcastle fans grumbled about Tonali’s lacklustre display and the fact he misplaced many of his passes. Indeed, the Italian has had a bad run of performances over the last month or two.
Now, Newcastle supporters and the Geordie Boot Boys readers have really dug deep to try and figure out what is actually going on with the Italian midfielder.
What’s wrong with Sandro Tonali?
On our TalkingPoints discussion board, fans were asked what they think the problem is with Tonali and the responses threw up a variety of potential explanations.
One fan simply said, “He’s lost, looked terrible [against Burnley],” while another wrote, “His effort cannot be questioned but he’s looked off it for months now.”
A third added: “Sandro Is being carried and that’s not good enough. Drop him and give Miley or Ramsey a much bigger role until such time he’s ready to return.”
As for the reason behind his decline, some seem to think it’s down to Tonali’s fitness issues that Eddie Howe mentioned previously.
One commented: “I wonder if it’s fatigue? Or is he just a victim of being so good last season.”
Another replied: “Is it just fitness? I hope it’s just fitness. Otherwise there’s a much bigger problem here.”
This may be a wider problem, too, with one fan writing: “Are players carrying small injuries and being played regardless?”
However, there is another theory. Tonali has been linked with a move to Juventus, and some believe he already has that idea stuck in his head.
“I have a bad feeling he is getting homesick,” one comment read.
- READ MORE: Newcastle United latest transfer news and rumours – Kees Smit impressed and Sandro Tonali update
Name Newcastle United’s strongest midfield as it DEFINITELY isn’t Bruno, Tonali and Joelinton these days
We are so open all of the time in away games!
Thanks for the memories but it’s time to move on from it 😡
Sandro Tonali’s stats this season
To be fair to Tonali, on paper at least, he’s having a half-decent season. Of particular note is the fact the Italian has four assists to his name across his 26 appearances.
Delving into more detail, Tonali is making 6.45 progressive passes per 90 minutes and has an 80.4% pass success rate. His short passing is particularly strong, at an average of 89.3% but his long-range passing is significantly weaker, with a 51.3% success rate.
To say Tonali plays deeper in the midfield, he is carving out dangerous opportunities for the team. Indeed, he registers an average of 2.69 shot-creating actions per 90.
Defensively, Tonali has struggled. He has just a 43.3% tackle win rate, winning just 0.96 per 90 minutes (as per FBRef).
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