Newcastle United looked like their old selves on Saturday.
Though making too big a deal out of what ultimately was a draw is of course foolish, the performance Newcastle put in against Premier League champions Manchester City was hugely impressive.
Eddie Howe’s side looked a far cry from the team who turned in a dreadful performance away at Fulham last week, which is arguably much more important than the point. Had Nick Pope not have saved Bernardo Silva’s volley in the dying embers, it wouldn’t have meant Newcastle had put in a bad performance.
Slowly but surely the intensity looks to be coming back. Joelinton was praised by pundit Joe Cole, while the Newcastle United manager believes Anthony Gordon is getting back up to speed.
Still, not everyone is quite there yet, even if its not particularly impacting upon their performance.
Howe has admitted Sandro Tonali is not fully fit yet.
Eddie Howe admits “you can see” Sandro Tonali isn’t fully fit for Newcastle yet
Tonali came off for Sean Longstaff in the second half and will be assessed by the club’s medical staff ahead of the games against Wimbledon and Everton next week.
Speaking after the game, Howe said (via talkSPORT on YouTube): “You can still see Sandro’s got a little bit of fitness work to do to get back to his best., so he comes off with cramp.”
Newcastle have so many options to replace Sandro Tonali
It’s understandable that Tonali wouldn’t be fully fit yet given how much football he missed as a result of his ban for betting breaches.
Still, Howe has a rare luxury in midfield.
He’s already talked about that particular area being the strongest in his squad, with Longstaff and Joe Willock options alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, while Lewis Miley is set to return.
Having impressed since coming back into the fold, Tonali can be afforded a rest as he builds his way back up to full fitness.
It’s a good spot to be in.
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