Sandro Tonali has brought a positive Roberto De Zerbi didn't even expect
Tottenham Hotspur are watching their blockbuster 100 million pound transfer Sandro Tonali get closer and closer to living up to his billing, and it seems like he is finding his groove in not only the Roberto De Zerbi system but at Tottenham in general.
Tonali rose to the occasion in a marquee matchup against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, helping Spurs control the middle of the park against the duo of Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson. Facing two very different profiles of established Premier League midfielders, Tonali kep the game ticking over, completing 90 percent of his 60 pass attempts while coming close to the team lead with four tackles.
With Mateus Fernandes all over the place as more of the 8 next to him, Tonali was the anchoring six, and he really blew people away with his defensive quality. Whereas Premier League fans watched Aston Villa kill Manchester City in transitions in a 2-1 upset to start Saturday's action as ex Chelsea defensive midfielder Enzo Fernandez had a woeful afternoon defensively with zero interventions at all, Tonali had his way in terms of covering for the back line.
Sandro Tonali can play lights out defense
It was almost as if Tonali was a third center back, sweeping up danger in front of Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke, giving De Zerbi's dyanmic Dutch duo plenty of support. So many players on Tottenham deserve credit for the clean sheet result, but undoubtedly a large part of that credit needs to go to Sandro Tonali.
For the quality on the ball, his leadership, his past success as a Serie A champion with legendary club AC Milan, and his ability to be a metronome of a passer as the general of the De Zerbi midfield, Tonali's defensive quality largely went overlooked in discussions about both his signing and his price tag to Tottenham Hotspur.
But while Enzo Fernandez has been exposed as a liability on the defensive side by Aston Villa, Chelsea, one of the best teams at efficiently getting the ball into scoring positions, really struggled in the hole against Tonali, who was a massive part of Tottenham totally neutralizing the best English duo of attackers in Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.
Those guys did nothing, as Tonali was impervious. The Italian international was disciplined off the ball, efficient at tackling when engaging in duels, and better than anyone else on the pitch at finding the right man with the pass.
Today's best reads
The Mateus Fernandes breakout is just begging to happen for Tottenham vs. Chelsea
Sandro Tonali can come of age again as Tottenham’s new general vs. Chelsea
Micky van de Ven has to pass a different kind of test for Tottenham vs. Chelsea
Archie Gray is the best case for Roberto De Zerbi sticking with a formation change
Tottenham vs. Coventry: Predicted starting 11 for must-win clash
