“Wake up” – TalkSPORT man sends brutal Newcastle message involving Tonali

“Wake up” – TalkSPORT man sends brutal Newcastle message involving Tonali

Sandro Tonali for Newcastle United
Newcastle United haven’t exactly got off to the dream start that they had been hoping for in the Premier League season, winning just once in four games, picking up three losses along the way against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Brighton game likely frustrated Eddie Howe the most, with his side comfortably beaten at The Amex. With that said, the international break came at the perfect time for the Magpies, who were handed the chance to regroup and go again.

Now, with Brentford up next, one pundit has delivered a surprising verdict on Sandro Tonali, despite the good start that the Italian has made to life in the Premier League, even scoring on his debut in a 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa.

So what’s been said about Tonali?
Speaking to Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury, TalkSport regular Gabriel Agbonlahor spoke about Newcastle’s start to the season, ruthlessly assessing Tonali’s opening four games for the club, delivering a damning verdict in the process.

The former Aston Villa striker said: “Newcastle look very poor at the moment. That’s not a team who are going to finish in the top four again if they continue performing like that. They need to wake up. Maybe the answer is making a few changes for the next game.

“Howe could put Longstaff back in that midfield. He was a big part of the success last season but he’s lost his place. That could be the answer. Take Tonali out for a game and get Longstaff in there with Guimaraes and Joelinton again. The Brighton performance was very poor and that’s now three losses on the bounce. They need to wake up, it’s not good enough.”

Tonali, of course, arrived from AC Milan for a reported £55m in the summer transfer window, and, as previously mentioned, hasn’t had a poor start to life at St James’ Park, which certainly makes Agbonlahor’s verdict an interesting one.

The former Premier League forward could yet get his wish, too, after the Italian missed his country’s clash against Ukraine on Tuesday through a “slight” injury. Now, it remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to start for Newcastle against Brentford.

How has Sandro Tonali performed this season?
Tonali-Trippier-Targett-Newcastle
Statistically speaking, Tonali has been far from a player that deserves to be dropped for his side so far this season. According to FBref, the Italian has been one of the standouts in Newcastle’s midfield, outperforming Joelinton even as the Magpies have struggled as a collective.

Player

Progressive Passes

Progressive Carries

Goals

Sandro Tonali

5

11

1

Joelinton

5

9

0

So, perhaps if a regular feature in the XI does need a bit of a rest, it should actually be the Brazilian, who has looked fatigued so early in the season.

As the campaign goes on, too, and Newcastle’s fixtures begin to become easier, rather than squaring off against two of the league’s traditional top six in the first four games, the summer arrival will only get better. The Brentford game is an important one for Howe to get right, but that doesn’t mean it should cost Tonali his place in the starting 11.

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Tom Cunningham
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