Sandro Tonali: the Leading Man in Luciano Spalletti’s New-Look Italy

Who could’ve foreseen that victory, then? Italy’s surprising — yet deserved — 3-1 win against France in Paris at the Parc des Princes proved that Luciano Spalletti is indeed the right man to lead the Azzurri. 

Italy hadn’t won away against Les Bleus in over 70 years, and to do so after having gone 1-0 down inside 14 seconds made the win all the more impressive. Moreover, considering their wretched showing at Euro 2024, it would’ve taken a brave soul to predict an Italian performance of that calibre.

Spalletti had promised going into the game that he would adopt a three-man backline, having seen his side struggle with a four in Germany. “Among the requests that were slightly too demanding was our defending in a four and building with a three, changing systems during the match and that was probably a mistake,” he said.

“I want to remove this doubt now, we will always play 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1. If you play the game with two strikers, it becomes easy, starting with 3-5-2 or 3-5-1-1, or 3-4-2-1.”

Spalletti started with a 3-5-1-1 system in the French capital but, formation aside, it was the personnel within the system who made the difference, and the key to the win was Sandro Tonali. 

It’s been a difficult year for the Newcastle midfielder, to say the least. The 24-year-old made all of eight Premier League appearances last season before being hit with a 10-month suspension for betting. As a result, he missed Italy’s disastrous Euro 2024 campaign and, on his showing against France, was sorely missed. 

Tonali made his comeback for Newcastle at the beginning of the new season, starting in the Carabao Cup win against Nottingham Forest in late August. Yet you wouldn’t have known he’d registered a couple of games under his belt going into the game.

Partnered in the middle of the field alongside Samuele Ricci and Davide Frattesi, Tonali demonstrated why Italy had missed him over the past year. The 24-year-old was full of running, breaking up France’s play and asserting himself by seeking the ball and keeping Italy ticking over.

Having not played for Italy in a year, the occasion may have overwhelmed the former AC Milan star, who kept a level head and delivered a man-of-the-match performance. And that’s before we get to the assist.

Italy had been 1-0 down for half an hour by the time Federico Dimarco received the ball on the left-hand side. What transpired was special.

Dimarco ran on to the ball, and delicately cushioned a pass inside to Tonali, who had his back to goal on the periphery of the penalty box. Dimarco continued his run in behind and Tonali executed a nonchalant backheel pass over the head of Jonathan Clauss and into the Inter Milan left-back’s path.

Watching the ball onto his foot, the Dimarco shaped his body and smashed an exquisite first-time volley into the opposite corner beyond Mike Maignan, levelling the game. The fact that it was the Milan man in goal likely made it all the sweeter for Dimarco and Tonali, considering Milan sold the latter against his will 14 months ago. 

The victory over France is undoubtedly the highlight of Spalletti’s reign as Azzurri manager, and having Tonali back will be a major boost. La Gazzetta dello Sport handed Tonali a 7.5/10, a performance that Spalletti himself later praised. “We were afraid that he [Tonali] wouldn’t make it to play 90 minutes, but in the end he gave two good bursts. We rediscovered a very strong player again, he played a magnificent game” the former Napoli boss said. 

Italy’s midfield was one of Spalletti’s primary issues in Germany, with the severe lack of quality in the middle of the pitch and a genuine lack of pace. Tonali should address both issues moving forward. Yet the lack of a Tonali alternative is a worrying theme. Ricci produced a very positive performance alongside him, but the Torino man is a different kind of player; more a regista than a box-to-box midfielder; Frattesi continues to look a different player for Italy than Inter, and Spalletti continues to struggle in putting Lorenzo Pellegrini in a position that can draw from the Roma player’s strengths.

However, the positive is that Nicolo Barella was absent for the France game, and a potential midfield duo of Tonali and Barella could be the cornerstone to build his midfield around. 

Spalletti still has a way to go, but the 3-1 win over France has no doubt raised spirits after a troubling summer. For Tonali, his performance was proof that class is indeed permanent and, despite not being 100% fit, football is still a game of moments.