New Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali delivered another monster class in the middle of the park for the Lilywhites, and while he had a very easy test against Crystal Palace considering the Eagles are one of the worst teams in the Premier League this season and had only 10 men, the ease by which he controlled the game off the ball and embarrassed former Spurs supposed dream transfer target Adam Wharton was a sight to behold.
It feels as though Tonali gets stronger each and every week, and after Newcastle United fans derided him as a 100 million pound fleece on their part following two rough games against Brentford and the Magpies in which the Italian international was not quite fully fit, Spurs fans are the ones joking now about paying Newcastle an extra 100 million pounds because this deal has actually been so worth it on the part of Roberto De Zerbi and the Lilywhites.
Tonali is locked in as not only the undisputed starting No. 6 for Tottenham Hotspur in a midfield that suddenly looks like one of the deepest in the entire Premier League, but he is the new midfield maestro and general. He made even Chelsea and Xabi Alonso's side look second rate, and it was the same story for another Big SIx club a couple of weeks prior at Old Trafford against Manchester United, where he had the clutch game tying assist.
Can Tottenham win without Sandro Tonali?
But Tottenham, at some point, are going to have to win without Sandro Tonali in their 11. Even the tireless maestro himself will need some rest, and as Spurs learned the hard way last season with players like Mohammed Kudus, they can't run their very best players into the ground or rely on them too much.
Rodrigo Bentancur was actually Spurs best midfielder to start the season, and Archie Gray was the same status last season when Tottenham were in real trouble under Thomas Frank. So there are players who can come in to the No. 6 position and keep things going, though understandably, there is doubt if they can carry out Roberto De Zerbi's complex instructions with the same deft genius as the former AC Milan Scudetto winner.
Tottenham may not have to answer that question this weekend vs. Leeds United before the November international break, but at some point, they are going to have to show that they can win without Tonali. And for many, the onus will be on Gray to see if he can take that mantle on after pushing himself to rebound and eventually perform so well as a right back.
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