Latest news with #SandroTonali
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tonali breaks silence on Newcastle future, confirms Italy strategy
Newcastle star Sandro Tonali confirms he's happy at the club and doesn't want to 'break the bonds' he's built: 'I've found people who care about me, and I care about them.' Tonali is preparing for Italy's World Cup qualifying match against Norway on June 6. Advertisement The Azzurri trained at Coverciano this morning and will depart for Oslo this evening. Tonali spoke to Sky Sport Italia about the Azzurri's approach against Norway, but also discussed his future at Newcastle, sending a clear transfer message. Read more – New Italy injury blow as Kean set to miss World Cup qualifying games 'I'm happy where I am now. I've found people who care about me, and I care about them. I don't want to break any of the bonds I've built,' he said. Tonali 'happy' at Newcastle NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Chelsea FC at St James' Park on May 11, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by) 'I've had a lot of thoughts every day, but right now, I'm happy where I am.' However, the Newcastle star misses the Italian atmosphere when he's away. 'Sometimes, when I am away from Italy for a long time or during long breaks, I do miss coming home a bit, but I always come back with the national team and I always give my best,' Tonali added. Advertisement 'There's a group here that wants to be together and needs to be here, united. There's a desire to face these ten days as a real team, staying close and trying not to make things harder for ourselves. That's often where the teams struggle, and we're trying to keep things simple.' Tonali won the EFL Cup with his club in March, beating Federico Chiesa's Liverpool in the Final. Sandro Tonali celebrates on the Wembley pitch after winning the EFL Cup final with Newcastle in a 2-1 victory over Liverpool. (Picture @NUFC via X) 'It was beautiful because it was hard,' said Tonali. 'We weren't the favourites, and we never really have been. We beat Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. We weren't the favourites in almost every match, but it was special also because when an unexpected team wins, all eyes turn to them. It was amazing to do it with a team that hadn't done it in 70 years, with incredible fans.' Advertisement The Azzurri will make their debut in the World Cup qualifiers against Norway tomorrow. Erling Haaland's country has already won two games out of two in Group I. Italy's tactic against Norway epa11976764 Italy's midfielder Sandro Tonali (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals first leg soccer match between Italy and Germany at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 20 March 2025. EPA-EFE/Daniel Dal Zennaro 'We need to be smart and understand that against players of this quality, we have to take the ball away from them and try to keep it as much as possible. 'The match is long, 90 minutes is a long time, and both teams will want possession for extended periods. We don't want to let them control the game, and we need to start the match with that mindset. We know playing away is more difficult, but we're ready for anything. We're Italy and we must be prepared to face any team.' Advertisement Luciano Spalletti, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo previously suggested that the Azzurri would need to keep possession for longer than Norway to secure a positive result in their upcoming meeting. Tonali scored six goals and provided three assists in 45 appearances across all competitions with Newcastle this season.
New York Times
15 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Sandro Tonali and the tactical tweak that changed the face of Newcastle's season
The 2024–25 season was undeniably one of the best in Newcastle's history. Not only did they clinch their first domestic trophy in 70 years after defeating Liverpool 2–1 to lift the Carabao Cup, but they also secured Champions League qualification for the second time in three years after edging out Aston Villa on goal difference. Advertisement However, heading into the festive period, things were looking very different for Eddie Howe's side. Despite still being in both domestic cups, a resounding 4–2 loss away at Brentford on December 7 left them 12th in the table, with seemingly nothing to play for in the league. But a run of nine straight wins in all competitions — including six in the league — transformed Newcastle's season. Unsurprisingly, it coincided with Sandro Tonali beginning to make his newfound No 6 role, — where he was first deployed against Crystal Palace on November 30 — his own. On the latest episode of Pod On The Tyne, Taylor Payne and George Caulkin discussed how pushing Tonali deeper changed the face of Newcastle's midfield and their season. A partial transcript has been edited for this article. The full episode is available on the 'Pod On The Tyne' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Taylor: George, after a mixed start to the season, there was a remarkable uptick in form, consistency, attitude and application, and all over the pitch Newcastle seemed to kick into gear. That midfield rejig we touched on earlier was really the springboard for it all wasn't it? George: Yeah it was, and that had actually happened before results turned around, but only only just before they did. It was the 1-1 draw away at Crystal Palace where Tonali had been moved back into that deeper position. It's funny because we talk about it as being a defensive role, but Tonali still manages to run more than anybody else. So that idea of him just sitting in front of the back four, tidying things up and playing the ball simply, that's just not what he does. He's absolutely everywhere, that's the incredible thing about him. But it was such a big deal, and they saw signs in there that perhaps that was the answer. It took another major reset after Brentford away, and we all heard on this podcast how that loss affected Chris. I've never heard of a flatter or more broken Chris before. But then they were fortunate to play against a Leicester team after that who were so naive that day in mid-December, and were battered 4-0. They were precisely the opponents that Newcastle needed. Advertisement Having that week of total reset at the training ground was vital. Howe took all his players aside and tried to explain to them that what was happening wasn't acceptable. And that God forbid if any of the players wanted to leave, the only way they could do that was by playing well for Newcastle. He was also trying to get into their heads by showing them clips of where it was going wrong and starting again. The players themselves had a meeting, and they knew it wasn't right. Then finally when it clicked, they just didn't look back. But that run of games where they got nine wins in a row was extraordinary because it took them to mid-January, and by that time the season was beginning to look very different. Taylor: Steven Levy on X agrees with us, and he said, 'The moment of the season was when Howe saw the light and moved Tonali to play No. 6, everything changed from that point on.' George: I must say that there is this idea that Eddie Howe was reluctant to play Tonali in that position, and I honestly think that's unfair. When Tonali arrived at the start of the previous season, there was talk of Newcastle playing with a sort of double-pivot. The idea was that Tonali and Bruno were interchangeable, where one would go and the other would stay. Whether or not that would have come to fruition, we don't know because it wasn't working seamlessly at that point. But then Tonali was obviously out of the team for a while, so when he came back into the team this season it took him a while to adjust. To play in a position where you're going to end up running more than anybody else, you can't just do that straight away on day one. So it's taken him time to get his match fitness back. And running was one of the very specific things that Howe and his staff worked on with Tonali. There were specific things that the coaches were doing with Tonali to get him up to speed, Chris and I wrote about this earlier in the season. They took apart his running action and started again with it, which made him more efficient and changed his gate. So you're now left with a player who runs more than any other player in the Newcastle team, and more than anyone else in most other Premier League midfields. That has been massively beneficial for Newcastle. But to say that it was down to Eddie Howe to see the light about where he could play, that's only part of it. It's also about the player himself understanding what's being asked of him, and the changes to his technique that were implemented during his time out. So I just think it's slightly more rounded than that, but his impact this season can't be overstated. You can listen to full episodes of 'Pod On The Tyne' for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify (Top Photo: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Newcastle ‘make five players untouchable' in summer transfer window after securing Champions League football
NEWCASTLE have drawn up their transfer plans - and made five stars 'untouchable'. Eddie Howe is planning for another assault on the Champions League as well as bridging the gap to the top of the Premier League. 5 With Financial Fair Play breathing down their necks, fans may have been fretting that some top stars could be flogged. But according to The Athletic, the club's top brass have put their foot down on key talent leaving, which will bring a huge sigh of relief for their passionate fans. Here, SunSport checks out the five players who will be sticking around St James' Park for a while longer... Bruno Guimaraes The Brazilian midfield maestro has suitors across Europe, but Toon won't budge. Manchester City were reportedly interested but Newcastle have privately insisted he's not going anywhere no matter how much money is offered. 5 Sandro Tonali The Italian has been a colossus this season. There have been games where his class has made the difference. Howe knows they've got a much better chance of achieving big things with him in the side. 5 Anthony Gordon What a rise, from Goodison fringe man to Newcastle's flying winger, and now an England star. The club want to keep Gordon for as long as they can and he's probably not reached his full potential yet. 5 Tino Livramento A modern-day full-back who didn't get a proper look-in at Chelsea but he has been a breath of fresh air every time he's played for Newcastle. Manchester City have reportedly targeted him as a natural replacement for Kyle Walker but Newcastle are having none of it. Alexander Isak One of the best strikers in Europe, consistently making the difference in big games. Unreal when fully fit and he just keeps getting better. There's top-level interest as expected but the club have made it clear he's going nowhere. 5 The Magpies are braced for aggressive approaches this summer and will let some players go but they've already started work on the building blocks for next season. They've also been linked again to Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, after failing to get a deal over the line last summer. Howe knows how brutal the Champions League can be after finishing bottom of their group last time around. This year the target is to get out of the group and make a real statement in Europe.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Your Newcastle player of the season
We asked you to select your Newcastle player of the season from the four candidates chosen by our fan with the poll now closed, we can reveal the winner is... Sandro Tonali!Here's what Charlotte Robson from the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast, external said about him:Midfield maestro from season has seen us unlock this player who somehow seems to get better and better each has slotted into this holding midfielder/attacking hybrid role with ease, pushing play up the pitch and being instrumental in crucial the final poll breakdown
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
The players who run and run...
Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes covered the most ground this season, running 261 miles (St James' Park to Wembley is 271 miles). He retains the award after racking up 263 miles in the competition last Gvardiol, Daniel Munoz, Bryan Mbeumo and Milos Kerkez complete the top five for most distance covered across the Premier League season. Taking time on the pitch into account (out of players that played over half the available minutes), Guimaraes was pipped by Newcastle team-mate in the list by team-mate Sandro Tonali who covered more ground per 90 minutes than the Brazilian…although Bruno still ran 7.2 miles per 90 minutes!Tottenham's Dejan Kulusevski ran harder than any other player this season, covering 7.7 miles per 90 minutes on Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek ran an average of 7.5 miles per 90 minutes, while Manchester City's Bernardo Silva (7.3) and Brighton's Yasin Ayari complete the top five.
