adminTottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has spoken about the hostile reception Sandro Tonali received from Newcastle United supporters during Spurs’ 2-0 Premier League defeat on Saturday.
Tonali faced his former club for the first time since completing a blockbuster £100 million transfer from Newcastle to Tottenham during the summer. The Italian midfielder was immediately placed under intense scrutiny by the travelling Newcastle supporters, who made their feelings known whenever he got on the ball.
The reunion quickly became one of the major talking points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Newcastle fans booing Tonali throughout the match. According to reports, the supporters repeatedly taunted the midfielder whenever he touched possession, turning the atmosphere around him into a particularly hostile one.
Tonali had the opportunity to answer the criticism on the pitch shortly before half-time, but he was unable to take advantage. The former Newcastle star scuffed a close-range effort wide, missing an excellent chance to give Tottenham the lead and silence his former supporters.
Things became even more difficult for the 26-year-old after Newcastle eventually took control of the contest.
Anthony Elanga broke the deadlock before Yoane Wissa added a second goal, giving Newcastle a deserved 2-0 victory and leaving Tottenham without a point from their opening two Premier League matches.
De Zerbi admitted afterwards that Tonali is still not at his best physically, but the Tottenham manager defended his record signing and insisted that he remains an important part of the club’s rebuilding project.
“Sandro is a crucial player that is not in the right, the best condition yet,” De Zerbi said, while making clear that he remains fully supportive of the midfielder.
The Italian coach also stressed that Tottenham’s biggest challenge is developing the mentality required to compete consistently after a summer of major squad changes.
“It’s the biggest problem, it’s the biggest challenge and the biggest target is to find the right mentality,” De Zerbi explained.
The defeat means Tottenham have now lost their first two league matches of the campaign, following the 3-0 defeat against Brentford on the opening weekend. They have also failed to score in either game, a worrying statistic given the club’s huge summer investment.
For Newcastle, however, the victory provided a memorable response after a turbulent summer in which Tonali was among the high-profile players to leave the club.
The Italian midfielder’s return to St James’ Park is now likely to be one of the most anticipated fixtures of the season, particularly after the reception he received in north London.
De Zerbi will hope Tonali can eventually turn the boos into motivation and demonstrate why Tottenham invested such a huge fee in him. For now, though, Newcastle supporters enjoyed the perfect outcome: their former player endured a difficult afternoon while his new team suffered another damaging defeat.
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