Sandro Tonali has not had the easiest of starts to life at Tottenham, but the Italian showcased what he can provide the team in the Lilywhites’ 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and Roberto De Zerbi was impressed.
The expectations on Tonali are huge, given that he is Tottenham’s first-ever £100m player. The Spurs midfielder is one of the highest-paid players in the squad.
He was thus expected to hit the ground running when he arrived in North London, but he fell short of his best in the club’s first two games of the season against Brentford and Newcastle.
The 2-0 loss against the Magpies was particularly unpleasant for Tonali, with Newcastle fans giving a loud cheer when he was taken off by Roberto De Zerbi in the second half.
Roberto De Zerbi claims Sandro Tonali played his best game for Tottenham on Saturday
Following the loss to Newcastle, De Zerbi said that Tonali was still not at his best level physically, which surprised many fans, given that the midfielder was not at the World Cup and has had a full pre-season.
However, the 26-year-old looked much sharper at the City Ground, winning most of his duels and being tidy in possession as Spurs emerged with a hard-fought draw.
When asked what he thought of Tonali’s performance on Saturday, De Zerbi said (via the club’s official website): “I think he can play one step more, but he played his best game so far. Also, Gallagher played very well and Marmoush gives us the quality in the play.”
Tonali at the centre of major controversy amid Forest’s disallowed goal
The midfielder has been at the centre of a major refereeing controversy after Neco Williams’ goal was chopped off by VAR as the full-back stooped down to head the ball just as Tonali was attempting to clear it off the goal line.
While replays showed that the ball did make contact with the Welshman’s hand before going into the back of the net, Forest feel extremely hard done by at the call.
Williams himself and manager Oliver Glasner have both blasted the decision to chop off the goal, suggesting that there was not a clear and obvious handball.