Tottenham’s £100m Sandro Tonali Problem Solved as Roberto De Zerbi Tweaks His Tactics
Ben McAleer
The relief at full time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night was palpable to say the least. At the seventh time of asking, Tottenham Hotspur had secured their first Premier League win of the season. The returning James Maddison fired the north London side in front.
Jack Rudoni briefly restored parity for Coventry City, before Omar Marmoush bagged his first and Spurs’ second. Ben Davies wrapped up the three points late on as Roberto De Zerbi oversaw a 3-1 home triumph. The capital outfit moved off the bottom of the table and up into the dizzying heights 16th.
Key, now, is maintaining that upward trajectory. Spurs can ill-afford to fail to build upon the first league victory of the season. Of course, that’ll be easier said than done. De Zerbi takes his men to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Saturday evening. They’ve won just once at the home of their rivals since the Premier League’s 1992 inception.
Even so, victory will have given Spurs the required confidence boost to increase their chances of claiming a huge three points at the expense of the Blues. Importantly, the performance gave De Zerbi the blueprint on how best to maximise the club’s record signing.
Tonali's early struggles
To say Sandro Tonali has endured a sub-par start to life in north London would be a significant understatement. Excitement levels were incredibly high when it became clear that Spurs were parting with a club-record £100m to bring the Italy international to N17.
In the opening weeks of the season, Tonali has failed to match the levels of expectations. Yes, he’s shown glimpses of his capability. It wasn’t until Monday’s win over Coventry that the former Newcastle United man looked at home in the middle of the park.
Sandro Tonali has a message for Tottenham supporters after Coventry win
It’s no secret that De Zerbi favours a 4-2-3-1 setup. The former Brighton & Hove Albion and Marseille boss is practically wedded to the system. And yet for the welcome of the Sky Blues, he did something entirely out of character as he moved away from the formation and started his side in a 3-1-4-2.
When the lineups were announced, fans couldn’t make heads nor tails of the side he’d put out. On paper, it was a three-man backline. A seemingly defensive setup at home to newly-promoted Coventry. Naturally, supporters were up in arms, despite Maddison’s return to the starting XI for the first time in almost 18 months.
De Zerbi's tactics change benefitted club-record signing
However, once the match kicked off, it became clear that De Zerbi had deployed a forward-thinking line up. Tosin Adarabioyo sat between Dutch duo Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven. The former Chelsea man brought a physical presence against a side that ultimately looked to go direct. Andy Robertson was pushed forward, effectively acting as a left winger, with Mohammed Kudus on the opposite flank.
Maddison and Archie Gray were the more advanced of the three central midfielders. In turn, this gave Tonali a designated role in the side. On the whole, the issue with Tonali has been that he’s being played as part of a midfield pair in the 4-2-3-1 setup. With Newcastle, he was used in a trio, with a set role in the team.
Then-Magpies boss Eddie Howe was able to line his side up accordingly with either Tonali or Bruno Guimaraes as the deepest-lying of the three. In doing so, the former was able to either help protect the backline, or act as a number eight, with the freedom to push on and support the offensive.
In the process, Tonali excelled. With a specific duty, he was able to focus on the role in question. The issue with Spurs is that, with just one midfield partner rather than two, and said partner often being the more defensive-minded Rodrigo Bentancur, he was stretched too thin.
Tonali's key stats vs Coventry
Tonali would look to operate as the defensive shield and the player to advance the play. He’d start well enough, only to fade. This changed on Monday night with Gray acting more of a number eight. It meant Tonali was able to gain a stranglehold in the welcome of Frank Lampard’s side.
Tonali had a defined role against Coventry
Only Spurs’ starting centre-back trio made more passes than Tonali (68) in Monday’s league game. A 94.1% pass accuracy was second to Kudus (96.7%) of all starters. The latter attempted 38 fewer passes than the Italian.
No player made more tackles (3). Only the centre-backs on the night made more clearances (4). He created two chances for good measure. On the whole, however, Tonali was the team’s safety net. It meant only 30% of their attacks came through the middle of the park as Spurs prioritised the left (34%) and right flanks (36%), as the home side spread the play effectively.
On the whole, the Coventry welcome gave Tonali some much-needed purpose in a key position. He’s able to play the role of both ball winner and tempo setter without needing to charge upfield. The realisation comes at a crucial time as Spurs gear up for their game at a Chelsea side that has scored the third most goals (17) in the Premier League this season.
De Zerbi’s utilisation of Tonali on Monday showed how best to maximise his talent. It meant a compromise on his favoured tactics, but in turn; enabled Spurs’ club-record signing to play to the best of his ability.
