Sandro Tonali has faced heavy criticism from the Italian media following Italy's Nations League defeat to Belgium. The 26-year-old midfielder, who joined Tottenham Hotspur for £100 million in the summer, has struggled to impress and his difficulties continued on the international stage.
Performance Under Scrutiny
Tonali was named in Italy's starting XI for the visit of Belgium, but it was Kevin De Bruyne who had the lasting impact on the game. Goals from Mika Godts and Dodi Lukebakio sealed the contest, with Tonali singled out as a player who "retreats to the sidelines" when needed, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
The golden generation of Italian football is firmly over, with Tonali now viewed as their most important player, but he is already facing huge criticism. Their failure to qualify for the World Cup also saw Tonali blamed as he "lacked the energy or tactical acumen" to help Italy advance at the expense of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Questions Raised
A similar problem emerged on Friday, with claims that he and current club Tottenham are "in crisis" and that he was "comprehensively outplayed" by De Bruyne at the Stadio Olimpico. The Italian media have posed a question to Tonali: "Can we demand that our most modern midfielder finally unleash the qualities we believe he possesses, or should we reassess these attributes from an entirely new perspective? The onus is now on Tonali to deliver a decisive performance."
That is a damning indictment of his recent displays for the national team, but he will be able to answer them in Nations League games against Turkiye (twice) and France.
Context at Club Level
At Newcastle, Tonali was surrounded by big characters in Brazilian duo Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes, which brought the best out of him. Guimaraes also departed St James' Park in the summer as he sealed a £75m move to Arsenal. The Magpies have arguably come out in a favourable position having signed Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City as a replacement, with Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur also arriving as young midfielders.
Those in Italy and at new club Spurs, given his price tag, put more pressure on Tonali to stand up and deliver. He has struggled to do that in north London, with Tottenham winless in the Premier League and only scoring their first two goals in the competition in last weekend's 3-2 defeat at home to Aston Villa.
Newcastle also won at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier in the season when Tonali again struggled, with Matthias Jaissle making a good start to his spell in charge of the club after replacing Eddie Howe. His side are ninth having won and drawn two games while also losing once, with the latter a humbling 4-1 loss away to Leeds United. Newcastle at least headed into the extended international break on a positive note by beating Hull City 2-1.
For Spurs and Tonali, it is a trip to Manchester United as they search for a way to kickstart their Premier League campaign.
