Newcastle United appear to have turned a corner of late.
Indeed, Newcastle made an already good week even better on Saturday by following up on big wins against Leicester and Brentford with a 4-0 thrashing of Ipswich.
It has raised hope of a push for European qualification in at least some capacity again, while Eddie Howe’s side also have the small matter of a Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal to consider.
There is real optimism about reaching another domestic cup final, as well qualifying for one of the three European club competitions.
Key to their recent upturn in performances has been Sandro Tonali.
The midfielder has been starring in the deeper role and even scored twice in the cup victory over Brentford earlier this week, so it would be fair to say he’s enjoying himself right now.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
Speaking after the game, the Newcastle United manager was absolutely full of praise.
Sam Morsy of Ipswich Town runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United during the Premier League match between I...
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Eddie Howe says “magnificent” Sandro Tonali makes Newcastle much more stable
Asked about another fine display from the Italian international, Howe said (via The Chronicle): “I thought Sandro was magnificent again at the heart of the team, he gave us a real stability and control.”
Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes are now starting to click for Newcastle
Up until relatively recently, there were doubts about whether or not Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes could actually play together in midfield.
At times, it seemed as if the experiment just wouldn’t work, with pundits suggesting the pair wanted to do the same thing too often.
Still, and while the quality of the opposition does of course have to be taken into account, things do look as if they are now starting to work out.
Alan Shearer was keen to point out how well the duo played together, while pundit Tim Sherwood was also effusive in his praise.
It’s taken a while for Tonali to settle after returning from his ban. Now, however, he’s looking worth the wait.
Related Posts