The Italian midfielder spoke about the change of pace at the north London club, which brought victory to “Chelsea”.
Sandro Tonali believes nobody at Tottenham has suffered more than Roberto De Zerbi as the team finally turned the corner this season.
Spurs have struggled in recent seasons and De Zerbi saved the north London club from relegation after being parachuted into the final two months of the last campaign. This led to a massive summer overhaul that saw 10 new arrivals and some big names like captain Cristian Romero leave the door, spending more than £300m.
One of those big money transfers was De Zerbi and Tonali, forcing the club to seal a deal for the 26-year-old from Newcastle that could eventually reach £100m. However, the Italy international and his team-mates took their time to find their feet and gel and a first Premier League win came after a spirited draw at Manchester United with just 10 men and then a team-bonding trip to Marbella.
The promoted side faced Coventry last Monday and ran out 3-1 winners and followed up Tottenham’s best performance of the season as they won 2-0 at Chelsea, marking only their second win at Stamford Bridge in their last 42 trips to SW6.
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Tonali is improving with each passing game, leading the midfield and De Zerbi said his compatriot played his best game for the club since arriving from Newcastle on Saturday night.
In between the two wins, Tonali spoke to Sky Sport Italia and told them that the difficult first chapter of the season is now closed and that the coach is feeling the pain more than anyone else as he tries to steer the new-look squad in the right direction.
“Monday was a bit of a conclusion for this first part of the season. It’s been a constant growth, we have to take the positives and not just look at our start,” he told Milan News.
“The performances were great, everyone loves the coach who has suffered more than anyone else at Tottenham. We know we have a lot to give him because we haven’t achieved anything yet. We have become more of a team since last week, we can’t stop. We have to stay positive and play our football.”
Tonali also spoke about his love for Serie A giants AC Milan, the club he supported as a child.
“Milan will always be my favorite team, no matter how long it takes,” he said. “Even after 20 years, I will continue to follow them when my commitments allow me, because that feeling will never change.”