The Italian midfielder has struggled to hit the ground running at Tottenham following his big-money move from Newcastle, with the pressure of his price tag seemingly weighing heavily on his shoulders.
However, as the weeks have gone by, there have been encouraging signs that Sandro Tonali is gradually finding his feet in north London. With Tottenham searching for their first Premier League victory of the season against Everton, Roberto De Zerbi once again handed Tonali a starting role in an attempt to help him regain his best form.
And this time, the Italian international provided further evidence that his Tottenham career could be heading in the right direction.
Why Sandro Tonali left Mark Schwarzer impressed
Tonali has faced criticism during the early stages of his Tottenham career, and some of it has been justified considering the expectations surrounding his arrival.
But there are now signs that the situation is beginning to change, with former Premier League goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer particularly impressed by Tonali’s quality against Everton.
Speaking on BBC Sport Radio 5, Schwarzer praised the midfielder after he produced an outstanding pass in the 30th minute.
Tonali clipped a perfectly weighted ball over the Everton defence and into the path of Archie Gray, although the youngster was unable to bring it under control.
Schwarzer said: “Sandro Tonali’s ball is unbelievable. It’s perfectly weighted over the top of the Everton defence.”
That was not Tonali’s only impressive moment during the match. Earlier, in the 14th minute, he delivered another dangerous ball into the Everton penalty area after spotting Savio’s run towards the far post.
Schwarzer again highlighted the quality of the delivery, saying: “Sandro Tonali’s ball is excellent, you can see Savio’s run to the far post is brilliant.”
Those moments demonstrated the quality and vision Tonali can offer Tottenham, even though his start at the club has not yet reached the level expected.
Tonali’s numbers offer encouragement
Despite Tottenham being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Everton, Tonali can take plenty of positives from his individual performance.
According to FotMob, the midfielder covered 11.4 kilometres, more than any other Tottenham player. Andrew Robertson was next with 10 kilometres.
Tonali also completed both of his attempted long passes and successfully completed his only attempted dribble.
Defensively, he recorded the joint-most defensive contributions for Tottenham alongside Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke.
He also created the highest expected-assists figure in the match, registering 0.31 xA.
Although the result was disappointing, Tonali’s display provided encouraging signs that he is gradually adapting to life at Tottenham.
His early performances may have fallen short of expectations, but there is growing evidence that the Italian is beginning to find his rhythm. If he can maintain this level, Spurs could soon see the best version of Sandro Tonali.
