Currently one of the most prestigious, highly coveted defensive midfielders in European football. Brescia’s Sandro Tonali’s immediate future is pretty much guaranteed with Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus all challenging for his signature.
Brescia may be on the cusp of relegation to Serie B, but Tonali looks on course to be gaining a stark promotion to an elite level amongst one of Europe’s best.
The Italian midfield maestro has been a standout performer despite Brescia’s struggles this season, and he has repeatedly drawn comparisons to Italy & Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo because of his appearance as well as current Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso.
In fact, the midfielder himself has self-proclaimed himself to be a mixture of both, such is the confidence in his own ability. Take a peak at his abilities on the pitch, and you’d begin to see the stark comparisons to such well-renowned greats.
Tonali is sure to be gracing Serie A next season, and possibly the Champions League but how has he established himself as one of the most talented midfielders around?
Who is Sandro Tonali?
Born in Lodi, a commune in Lombardy, northern side of Italy. Tonali spent his younger years at Piacenza before joining current side Brescia in 2012, aged just 12. After plying his trade for the youth sides, establishing himself throughout the ranks, he finally made his professional debut in August 2017, aged 17, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 away loss in Serie B against Avellino.
Tonali scored his first pro goal in April 2018, appearing 18 times during his first season as a first teamer, scoring twice and assisting twice during the 2017/18 Serie B campaign. The following campaign saw Tonali lead Brescia to the Serie B title and promotion to Serie A, becoming a key figure even as a teen. The midfielder was rewarded with his first international call-up in November 2018, bypassing the under-21s in the process.
Previously, he had featured for the under-19s at the 2018 Under-19 European Championship. It’s through that competition that Tonali made a name for himself. There, he played a crucial role at the base of Italy’s midfield which saw them reach the final losing in a captivating 4-3 extra time defeat. He’s gone on to feature three times for Roberto Mancini’s Italy side and has regularly been backed to stake a permanent place within such a talented pool of midfielders.
What’s all the hype surrounding Sandro Tonali?
How the whole footballing world misses the remarkably gifted and genius of Italy legend Andrea Pirlo.
A quiet and measured artist on the ball, yet his abilities and influence on the pitch was clearly noticeable from deep in midfield. Football may have lost such a decorated player, but we may have a Pirlo reincarnation on our hands in Brescia’s Sandro Tonali.
Not only does he look like the Juventus legend, but he holds similar abilities too. He plays the same deep-lying playmaker role that Pirlo helped shape into prominence, and although his club are on the verge of relegation from Serie A, he always stands out in most games.
At 19 years of age, Tonali has it all. Fantastic range of passing, vision, robust in the tackle, a good spatial awareness of his role, positional and tactical understanding and an almost inspiring trait of leading his team despite his tender age.
He is so cool and calm on the ball, will play his way out of pressure, can dictate play with ease, scores the odd bullet from range and even holds the same long hair as the great Pirlo. He’s a bit stockier and more robust, though, and perhaps a little more mobile and two-footed, too.
His first campaign in Serie A has been a successful for him on a personal level. Brescia are indeed amongst the worst in the competition, but Tonali is the only real spice in their team. He’s scored once and assisted 5 goals which is decent numbers for a defensive midfielder. In fact, he’s the closest thing Italy have to Andrea Pirlo, a player who can easily slot in at the base of the midfield and dictate play from deep, almost like a quarter-back.
Like the former AC Milan and Juventus midfielder, Tonali loves to take up possession in between the two centre-backs and spray passes all over the field. The 20-year is indeed the glue which holds everything together in this Brescia team. Per game, he averages nearly 40 passes with a passing accuracy of 74% which may be relatively low considering his deep position, but its understandable when you consider the fact that Tonali doesn’t do the easy side-ways passes. He takes risks, and makes it look stylish.
In fact, per 90 he averages 2.1 key passes meaning he’s not afraid to do something extraordinary when Brescia look for opportunities. He’s also a sound dribbler as well as his passing, averaging 1.4 dribbles per 90. He regularly breaks the lines of play to give Brescia some inspiration when struggling to unsettle defences. When all else fails, Tonali sometimes takes the onus upon himself to conjure up some magic.
When he does finally join a top-level side, his numbers will increase considerably. Playing with world-class players means he will certainly also pick up such characteristics.
In the defensive phases of play, he brings such effectiveness too, despite Brescia being poor defensively. Per 90, he averages 1.2 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 1.8 blocks, he’s not afraid to put his body on the line. When positioned in a slightly more advanced position, Tonali adequately closes down passing lanes, he’s averaged 4.28 successful pressures. He is quite willing defensively, which is a perhaps a result of his childhood admiration for Gennaro Gattuso. Tonali is robust when he wants to be, but also measured and composed at the same time. He is indeed the perfect blend between Pirlo and Gattuso.
Tonali’s services are better served elsewhere. The footballing world needs Andrea Pirlo back. But wait, we have the next best thing in Sandro Tonali.
What does the future look like for Tonali?
It seems perfectly inevitable that Tonali will move on this summer, and Inter Milan are reportedly leading the chase for his signature. The midfielder could represent the perfect foil for Antonio Conte and will aslo provide adequate cover for Marcelo Brozovic, a mainstay in Conte’s 3-5-2 system.
Tonali holds all the tools, characteristics and mental stability to thrive in Milan and his first taste of Serie A this season will indeed serve him well for the future. A leading midfielder for many years to come.
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