INTRODUCTION
A transfer that was on the wish list of every Milan fan was Sandro Tonali. A self-proclaimed life-long fan of Milan, his style of play and similar looks to that of Pirlo made Tonali on the top of that wish list. A move to Inter Milan seemed all but sealed but Inter’s reluctance and Conte’s requirement for more experience in the middle made Milan act quickly and within 72 hours Milan closed the deal to bring Tonali home for a formula of 10M loan+ 15M loan+ 10M bonuses with 15% future sell on fee.
BACKSTORY
Tonali made his senior debut for Brescia at the age of 17 coming on as a substitute in a Serie B match on 26 August 2017. He finished that season with 2 goals and 2 assists making 19 league appearances.
In the 2018-2019 season Tonali was part of the Brescia team that won Serie B and gained direct promotion to Serie A. He made his Serie A debut against Cagilari in the 2019/20 season and played a total of 35 matches this season.
Tonali has never hidden his support for A.C.Milan and has always been vocal of his support for legend Gattuso. A letter written by Tonali surfaced in social media where Tonali asks for an A.C.Milan jersey and is already quite popular among the fans
Brescia president Cellino said “We have received offer in January from Barcelona for Tonali. Manchester United made a bid for him before Milan, but once Milan came forward the player went crazy and asked to join Milan because it’s the team he supported since he was a child.”
PLAYING STYLE
Tonali for Corini’s Brescia played as a regista in a 4-3-1-2 which could be a 4-1-2-1-2 at times. He would sit in front of the defense and dictate play with quick balls forward to start attacks. However Mancini used him as a mezzala since they already have a regista in the form of Jorginho in the Azzuri setup. Tonali has the skillset to play both roles to perfection. He carries out Corini’s game plan while putting his own imprint into the game.
Tonali’s main role in the team is to be initiator of build-up’s for the team. He acts as a single point of reference by positioning himself between the first 2 lines of reference and forms an asymmetrical triangle while receiving passes. Now while defenders pass out from the back full backs push up for Brescia acting as passing options for Tonali. Usually when he receives the ball from one of the defenders he uses his dribbling skills to power through the lines of defense or use his passing skills to put forward through balls.
A distinguishing aspect of Pirlo’s passing was his unique body orientation that helped him angle in passes between defenders. Tonali has imbibed some of this technique in his stride which has gained him comparisons to Pirlo and a lot of praise from the Maestro himself.
Now with Brescia not being a technically gifted side Corini had him play in front of his defense as a shield. When the attack progressed into Brescia’s final third Tonali would position himself between Brescia’s 2 CB’s creating an erasatz 5 at the back.
Sandrino’s main defensive abilities lies in his unique ability to read the game as he is able to read the opponents mind. This gives him quite a number of opportunities to intercept passes and put his foot into tackles. Tonali does not dive into tackles but he does have a knacker habit of giving fouls away in dangerous zones of the pitch. His pro-active sense of defending has drawn comparisons to Milan legend Gennaro Gattuso who was a wrecking ball on the pitch.
Once Brescia win the ball back, he would position himself in a pocket of space closest to ball carrier. Being the crux of Brescia’s build up Tonali tries to keep the distance between him and his teammate in possession to very small lengths so as to not turnover posession.
Once the ball is on his feet, he scans the pitch for his teammates to try and gauge who are not being marked and who could spark off a goal-scoring chance. A very important aspect of this is his proximity to his teammates.
Tonali must be aware of his teammates pro’s and con’s before he could come up with the appropriate passing choice. Tonali who was a wide range of passing in his armory does not shy away from going long. Tonali also can float in balls inside the box from wide areas but wastefulness has been a big problem of Brescia’s relegation season. Tonali however being the regista can mostly be seen occupying central areas of the pitch or occupying half spaces between the lines of defense of the opposition. Another weapon in his arsenal is his unusual acceleration. He can be seen participating in Brescia’s counter-attacks with their forward players. He can also be seen holding players off by shielding them and has a fair amount of physicality to show he has some brawn and not all brains.
Tonali also is the designated set piece taker of the team. His only goal in Serie A came from a curving free-kick from an acute angle. He is also the designated corner taker but somehow Bresica have spurned goal scoring opportunities.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
A player with similar nature of Tonali at Milan is Bennacer. Signed from relegated Empoli, Bennacer has been Milan’s dynamo in the middle and hence we decided to compare Tonali and Bennacer
Bennacer has played a total of 31 matches while Tonali played 35 matches. In terms of interceptions Bennacer has the upper hand over Tonali with Bennacer having 1.7 interceptions per game while Tonali only managing 1.2 interceptions.
Bennacer has a higher passing accuracy with 88.3% with Tonali only managing 76.1%. This could be down to Tonali managing far more riskier passes as he plays as the single pivot in the midfield and is tasked with buildup while bennacer has more technically competent players around him.
Bennacer attempted 3.6 tackles on an average every game winning 2.2 every game while Tonali has won 1.1 out of 2.2 tackles. Perhaps this could point to the reason as to why Bennacer has 14 yellow cards while Tonali has only 4
In terms of assists and productivity Bennacer has 0 assists while Tonali stands out with 7 mostly due to his added feature of taking setpieces
Considering all factors Bennacer seems to be edging Tonali to the starting spot but rest assured the youngster will give Bennacer a run for his money.
DEAL OR NO DEAL
Midfield depth has been something Milan fans have missed since the start of ‘banter’ era. From having a midfield of Poli, De Jong. Montolivo, Muntari, Milan are looking increasingly going towards Kessie, Bennacer, Tonali and perhaps Bakayoko.
It is a serious show of ambition by the management and ownership when making such marquee signins were Milan’s piece de resistance. Tonali, a lifelong Milan fan is only 20 years old. With Donnarumma, Alessio Romagnoli, Tonali they looks like forming the heart of Italy’s dreams. Along with Bennacer, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, his signing ensures Milan have a bright future.
His skillset would ensure the creativity burden would not just rest on the shoulders of Castillejo, Hakan and Rebic and Milan have someone to break the line from midfield. Also a set-piece specialist would ensure Milan score more goals, something that has plagued them before the corona induced break
What makes it sweeter from Milan fans is that the transfer was snatched from crosstown rivals Inter Milan. A “ 6 pointer” transfer. Cellino’s words of his undying love for the club and his grinta has already given him a cult status among the fans
TRANSFER RATING: 8.5/10
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