Newcastle United now appear to be over their early season funk.
Already this season, Newcastle have drawn with AC Milan, beat Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, put eight past Sheffield United and now thrashed Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Indeed, they have recovered well from the three losses on the bounce that sent them into the first international break in poor form.
Things have clicked into place, particularly in midfield. Despite initial doubts that Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali would work, they were both excellent in the huge win over PSG.
A partnership certainly appears to be growing.
Bruno Guimaraes describes Sandro Tonali as his “hero” after thrashing PSG
Guimaraes, Tonali and Sean Longstaff caused problems all evening, with the Brazilian grabbing an assist and the Englishman scoring a goal.
In fact, it was Tonali’s quick feet that intercepted Gianluigi Donnarumma’s save from Guimaraes’ shot, allowing the Brazilian to float one over to Dan Burn for the header.
After the full-time whistle, the Italian took to Instagram to write: “Champions League nights in Newcastle, we are back! Amazing atmosphere. Hungry for more.”
To which Guimaraes simply responded: “My hero.”
How well did Tonali play vs PSG?
Very well.
As per WhoScored data, the 23-year-old played a key pass, made two interceptions and found the mark with two out of his three long passes.
It has taken the former AC Milan star time to settle after such a good debut against Aston Villa but, finally, it appears him and Guimaraes have developed an understanding.
That could be huge for what remains of the season. With Longstaff fit and firing and Joelinton and Joe Willock still to come back from injury, the engine room looks a huge strength for Eddie Howe’s side again.
Things are looking very healthy indeed.
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