Sandro Tonali was back in action for Italy again on Monday evening after being named in the starting lineup against Israel.
Newcastle United’s silky midfielder made his return to the international stage this week when he started for Italy against France on Friday.
In what was his first international appearance in almost a year, Sandro Tonali put on a strong showing and was hailed as “sensational” by Luciano Spalletti.
Tonali has shown a great attitude at Newcastle to return from his lengthy suspension and immediately hit the ground running, and it seems he has carried that momentum with him on international duty.
Clearly impressed by his fitness levels against France, Spalletti named Tonali in his starting lineup again for Italy’s Nations League clash against Israel.
READ MORE: Bruno Guimaraes responds as Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali stars on return to Italy team
Sandro Tonali’s performance vs Israel
Tonali started and played the full 90 minutes against Israel with Italy emerging as 2-1 winners.
Davide Frattesi and Moise Kean were on the scoresheet for Italy, and Tonali came excruciatingly close to joining them but his goal to make it 3-0 was chalked off for offside.
The stats behind Tonali’s performance were just as impressive, with the 24-year-old boasting a 93 pass accuracy while winning four duels in the heart of midfield.
With two full 90-minute displays now under his belt, there should be no concerns about Tonali’s fitness when he returns to Tyneside.
He could even start for Eddie Howe’s side in the trip to Wolves next Sunday.
Italian media react to Sandro Tonali’s display
Not only did Tonali get some much-needed game time into his legs over the international break, but he was one of the best players on the pitch against Israel.
Italian outlet StadioNews gave Tonali a 6.5 rating – the second-highest in the team only behind Frattesi.
They added: “It is not a surprise but his return brings back the smile to the coach who had lost him for the European Championships due to his suspension. His teammates in the department are warned, he will be one of the protagonists of this new Azzurri cycle.
SportMediaSet piled huge praise on Tonali, who “seems to have never stopped”, they add that he “is the mirror of a National team that is finally hungry and capable of making the Italians proud.”
90Min also gave Tonali a 6.5 rating, while Sky Italia gave him a 6/10 as they wanted to see more from Tonali going forward.
They wrote: “Physically he is there, he closes the spaces that concern him well, but he is less present in the offensive phase.”
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