‘Wild Horse’ Sandro Tonali perfect – Luciano Spalletti | OneFootball

Luciano Spalletti has been lavishing praise on Sandro Tonali.

The Newcastle United midfielder with yet another excellent performance for his country.

Italy won 1-0 in Brussels on Thursday night.

Sandro Tonali was man of the match and scored that winning goal.

Italy will be guaranteed to top their Nations League group if avoiding defeat at home to France on Sunday. They have picked up 13 points from five group matches so far and are three points ahead of France.

Indeed, it would have been a perfect 15 points for sure, if Italy hadn’t had a man sent off just before half-time when leading Belgium at home 2-0, that match eventually seeing 10-man Italy get a point in a 2-2 draw.

Italy’s excellent form has coincided with the return of Sandro Tonali to the team after his suspension ended in August, with the midfield area surely Italy’s biggest strength by far these days.

Team boss Luciano Spalletti couldn’t have been happier with his team after last night’s victory, especially with his midfield.

The winning goal came when Barella played a pass to Giovanni Di Lorenzo and his cross was met by Sandro Tonali to score the winner.

After the win over Belgium, Luciano Spalletti keen to talk about his midfielders:

“They were perfect.

“Barella is a master at positioning himself to find spaces.

“He knows how to drop back and play as a double pivot, he can break beyond the defensive line like a second striker, he has a good shot from distance, he is perfect for that role.

“Davide Frattesi and Sandro Tonali seem more like runners, more like wild horses for open spaces.

“We have an incredibly strong midfield in terms of quality and the ability to sense where they need to position themselves.