Tottenham's most important player became even more obvious when Leeds shut him down

Tottenham Hotspur had a rough afternoon at Elland Road, losing 1-0 to a Leeds United side that they were confident in defeating, having won three games in a row and even outplaying Manchester United at Old Trafford in their first game after the last international break (though that feat seems far less impressive now). But Leeds were a buzzsaw to them, and it was particularly shocking to see how they suffocated the Spurs midfield, totally shutting down Sandro Tonali in the process.

Coming into the final match before the upcoming November international break, Tonali was playing about as well as any midfielder in the Premier League, generating love from Spurs fans as a candidate to be named Midfielder of the Season, capable of challenging Arsenal's 2025/26 Ballon d'Or sleeper Declan Rice.

So much that was good about Tottenham Hotspur seemed to emanate from Roberto De Zebri's chosen maestro in midfield. The Italian international came of age as a midfield general against Chelsea with a dominant display just two weeks after bossing Manchester United's midfield, and then he followed that up with another great game against a 10 man Crystal Palace.

But Tonali got a sobering reality check, as he and Tottenham had their worst games of the season since that 3-0 Matchday 1 debacle against local rivals Brentford at the Gtech. This defeat at Elland Road felt eerily similar, minus the fact that Leeds United are not as adept in the attack as the Bees.

Sandro Tonali completed barely 70 percent of his passes in a true disaster class. Leeds gave him no time and space on the ball, and he suffered accordingly. The former AC Milan Scudetto winner did not have a single dribble completed, key pass, or any other meaningful offensive contribution while losing the ball four times on unforced errors.

And despite being elite all season long on and off the ball defensively, Tonali scarcely won the ball and was totally overrun by a mediocre Leeds midfield. Leeds made it their game plan to destroy Tonali, and it was scary, from a Tottenham Hotspur perspective, how great of a job they did in executing that.

Tonali is Spurs most important player and the focal point of the team, and in the darkest way possible, that point was reenforced by how badly Spurs played as a team when Leeds neutralized him completely. Now, Tonali deserves criticism for how poorly he played, but Roberto De Zerbi and his Tottenham teammates have to be criticized, too, for letting things get to that point. There was no tactical game plan to help Tonali or get someone else to take on that responsibility with him swarmed, and the other midfielders were inept at taking the burden themselves. It can't happen again.