Sandro Tonali has thrived on the responsibility of being the main man
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By CRAIG HOPE
Published: 07:02 EST, 15 December 2024 | Updated: 07:02 EST, 15 December 2024
It felt telling when Eddie Howe said that Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes play the No 6 role differently. The big difference right now, however, is that when Tonali plays there, Newcastle are better for it.
On Saturday against Leicester, for the first time since his debut at home to Aston Villa 16 months ago, the Italian started a Premier League game that the team went on to win.
The mitigation for that is he missed 10 months because of a ban for illegal gambling. There is less extenuation if you consider his performances when available were lukewarm - until now.
So why was he red hot at the weekend, as well as 10 days previous against Liverpool? The positional change has changed the direction of his Newcastle career. Without it, you suspected he was drifting towards the margins and, perhaps, a return to Italy. He did not look a fit for the Premier League.
Now, Howe has dragged him back into centre field, literally and metaphorically. Tonali has thrived on the responsibility of being the main man, the one tasked with orchestrating play from the middle of the park, rather than a runner at No.8. He is the conductor.
There always has been a swagger about the former Milan midfielder that did not seem suited to charging up and down channels. Those efforts invariably led down blind alleys.
Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has thrived on the responsibility of being the main man
Bruno Guimaraes, who scored for Newcastle on Saturday, was alongside Tonali in midfield
It felt telling when Eddie Howe said that Tonali and Guimaraes play the No. 6 role differently
Tonali wants to dictate, both the game and his own destiny. It was naive to believe that the captain of one of Italy's greatest clubs would not arrive with an ego that needed managing. He plays with a majesty that can only reign, it now seems, in one domain.
The consequence is Guimaraes being moved to No 8. The Brazilian prefers to play at No 6. He has been excellent there on many occasions and it is why Manchester City and Pep Guardiola admire him.
But Guimaraes does not move the ball as quickly and as incisively as Tonali. In a team that has struggled for goals this season, getting the ball to attacking players such as Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon when they are in a space and not a crowd is key.
Take one first-half pass against Leicester. It was as if Tonali had speeded up time, bypassing patience with a ball that broke the lines and Leicester's resistance. It all looked so simple - it was not, and if it was more would do to - for his pass was straight, low and directly upfield. That, though, was the beauty of it, the incision. There is not a better one-touch passer at the club. That attack ended with Isak missing a one-on-one, but getting the striker into that scenario felt like a victory in itself.
With Tonali at No 6 in three matches at St James' Park, Newcastle have now scored two, three and four.
Howe said: 'He obviously plays the No 6 position very differently to Bruno, but equally as effectively. Both are very good and very efficient in different ways.
With Tonali at No 6 in three home matches, Newcastle have now scored two, three and four
'Sandro covered the ground very well, his athletic performance was very good. He is just very intelligent with the ball and makes good decisions. He has come into the team in that position and given us a good outlook. I'm excited by how the midfield three is looking - Craig will be happy!'
That last comment is a jovial nod to what Howe believes is my obsession with his midfield - and he is right! Moving Tonali to No 6 and Guimaraes to No 8 was the solution to Newcastle's midfield conundrum that I explored in a Mail Sport YouTube video three weeks ago. Since then, with that pair in a new-look tandem, Newcastle are unbeaten in three matches. At Brentford last week, when Tonali was rested, they lost.
Note, too, that Guimaraes scored during the 4-0 win over Leicester, a timely header at the far post. He is more of a goalscorer than Tonali and No 8 affords him the license to populate the penalty area more.
It would appear, then, that the answer to the riddle in the middle has been found.