Try The Athletic for FREE for 30 days: www.theathletic.com/tifoirl
📗 Tifo's new book, "How to Watch Football" is now available internationally: linktr.ee/tifobook
Sandro Tonali has become the most expensive Italian football player after his move to Newcastle United. He was once touted as the next Andrea Pirlo, but is that comparison accurate? And have Newcastle overpaid?
JJ Bull explains.
Follow Tifo Football:
Twitter: / tifofootball_
Facebook: / tifofootball
Instagram: / tifofootball_
Listen to the Tifo Football podcast:
Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/TifoFootPod
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/06QIGhq...
About Tifo Football:
Tifo loves football. We create In-depth tactical, historical and geopolitical breakdowns of the beautiful game.
We know there’s an appetite for thoughtful, intelligent content. For stuff that makes the complicated simple.
We provide analysis on the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, World Cup and more.
Our podcasts interview some of the game’s leading figures. And our editorial covers football with depth and insight.
Founded in 2017 and became a part of The Athletic in 2020. For business inquiries, reach out to tifo@theathletic.com.
Music sourced from epidemicsound.com
Additional footage sourced from freestockfootagearchive.com
#NUFC #NewcastleUnited #PremierLeague
£55m is nothing for a 23 year old CL-level midfielder these days, it'll probably turn out to be a bargain.
This is a 35 mil for Kante 33 mil for Fabregas type of deal. They'll win something immediately or by next season.
@@shadow_realm47🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾
@@shadow_realm47 There's no way you just compared Tonali to those guys lol.
@@mhgooner9546he is a good player mate
@@mhgooner9546 Kante had his breakout in 15/16 season and he was 24/25 old and barely anyone knew who he was before that. Tonali is 23.
Can we get a video on Milan's situation ? (Sensible transfer for example ?) I'm a Milan fan who is confused and I'd love your opinion on how we might rebuild.
agreed
@@simonmoens1495 Exactly why I'm suggesting Milan 😂😂
Sad days for my club :(
The americans just want money
@@simonmoens1495 Well I mean that seems kinda fair
Sean Longstaff was critical for us last season. To get an upgrade on that is super valuable. We also like to put in a lot of crosses from that right half space and Tonali will hopefully be a lot more successful and consistent at doing that
Lots of opposition fans not understanding how important Longstaff was last season. He obviously lacked quality at times but he has a fantastic engine and in transition is a very intelligent player, often sensed danger and linked the midfield. If Tonali can bring the positional sense of Longstaff but improve the quality then it’s a great signing. His deadball skills are a boost too. As good as Trippier is we didn’t score enough from corners or free kicks, we had a single player so were predictable, with Tonali we have options so will be harder to defend against
@@andrewcharlton6080 Yeah, it was very apparent what he brings to our midfield when he got injured in the second half of the season. For people like WIllock, Joelinton and Bruno to thrive in midfield when their instincts are attacking ones you need someone like Longstaff tirelessly picking up the pieces and creating options with his running off the ball
Longstaff was great but without being harsh it is a position we could upgrade in, his ceiling isn't particularly high but he (and Eddie) were really maxing out every drop of talent he had and fair play to them both. I must admit I was one of those who didn't know his game and had him down as a Pirlo but the more I hear about Tonali, like hey say in this video, he seems more like a Longstaff upgrade. Hard to replicate that work rate, awareness, grasp of Howe's tactics that Long brings. Depending on what we do next in the market though, I could see us maybe playing Bruno/Tonali in the double pivot as mentioned in the vid with a creative number 10 playing in front but only in home games where we can sacrifice Joelinton's graft.
You know you’ve just paid 70m for a btec James Milner don’t you
@@GuinessOriginal well if we're paying 70m that means all the adds ons are included and the btec Milner has helped us get Champions League again. Milner is a great player who cost about 28m at a similar age over a decade ago.
The perception, and the stats, of Tonali has been skewed by the fact that Milan doesnt have a RW or a #10 of any note. The ones they have are great once or twice per season, no more. So he's been asked to do a lot more than he should and a lot more than whats he's best at.
Great point!
the thing is he's not even top 5 of holding midfielders in Serie A in my opinion. I think toon have been robbed. When players like tyler adams and palhinha cost 15 million. Who are the perfect type of players to fit beside bruno.
@@Writeous0nehes not a holding midfielder, so why would he be in the top bracket of players in that position? Tonali was rated as one of the best midfielders in his league, so your opinions seem based on emotion not any factual basis.
@@jamesfretwell1511 doesn't take much though prem flops go to serie A and smash it. My opinions based on he's not done anything to be worth 70 mil. He's more like a 20-30 mil player.
Don't know about overpaid. Like Isak, Bruno, hell all of our current players, the club's betting on Howe improving Tonali and taking him up even another level. Nothing wrong with being a even better Longstaff. Last season was literally Sean's best...
It is a massive overpayment... It just matter because of blood money
People are looking forward to the Bruno- JL - Tonali combo but forget we’ve also got willock and longstaff who could slot in there without losing any quality
@@joelinden1482 Thought I read Howe wanted basically two XIs, so we might go after another mid. Still hoping for Kone as a 6...
Sandro is a great midfielder. He’s complete, he can improve a lot and he’ll be one of the best in his role for the next decade. As an AC Milan fan, I’m very sad because he could become a legend of the team. But 70 million are a very amount of money, and at the moment, Sandro isn’t that worthy. He’ll be soon, but 70 million… Just 2 years ago, we spent less than 20 for him: now We have the opportunity to to the same, with 2 ore 3 players
A very huge amount*
I've heard the fee is more like €64m
@@Lommyism€70mill, that's like £61.9mill
If we have him even until his current contract expires in 2028 and he helps us not get steamrolled in the Champions League and helps us get back in there at least another couple of times over that period, he'll have easily earned that fee.
@@jacobalexander4167 Yeah we paid about £55m
Joelinton, Bruno G and Tonali are an absolutely terrifying midfield trio.
That shirt never fails to make me smile!
The Joelinton Hawaiian shirt is the most fitting piece of apparel to talk about Newcastle
Haha TIFO were waiting desperately for Tonali's Announcement 👀😆
I just have a feeling that his chemistry with Bruno G will be unstoppable next season
😂 nope, he will be a flop 😂
@@somdutta7322ok Tottenham fan
@@mrsmith7581Tonali is really bad on the ball. Like I don’t see many positives with him in possession. He can’t progress the ball well and his ball retention is horrific. Also his creation from open play is lacklustre. 72 million euros for a players whose only positives are running around and set pieces is poor business
Italians in premier league.. I remember Aquillani the flop
He will be a flop. He doesn't want to leave Milan. He will play badly and force a move back to Milan at a reduced transfer rate next season.
I am a Liverpool fan and I think he's an absolutely astute signing. Newcastle have a few really good players but not that many players with a lot of European experience, or proper winners. Trippier being the obvious exception of course but aside from him, there aren't many. Tonali is all of that, on top of being a really good footballer in an area of the pitch they needed a bit of depth. It is a lot of money but when you see fees for other midfielders this window, it's no more than the going rate.
I'm also a Liverpool fan and I strongly disagree with you for reasons expressed above. I'm not sure how long you've been supporting the club but players coming from Serie A - particularly Italian players - have been a huge money-waster for us over the years. Aquilani was supposed to be the next Andrea Pirlo and we were lucky to get half a season out of him before we were begging Fiorentina for our money back. Then you have the massive flops of Dossena, Borini, Balotelli and it's the stuff of nightmares given the hype associated with all of them. The thing is if you speak to other Premier League fans they share similar stories of Serie A players that never cut it in the Premier League. That's why I'm happy we haven't signed Chiesa or Barella. They look great at club level and playing for Italy, but that's very different to the pace and intensity of the Premier League which suggests they don't suit it.
@@thecountofmontecristo8280 The fact that you've had to use Aquilani and Dossena to prove your point does sort of renders it mute. Aquilani was a crock with a dire injury record, why you would use him to argue players from a league being bad are rubbish. Not to mention how long ago that was. The summer Aquilani left, Germany got to third place in the Euros, won the following world cup and got to third in the Euros that followed that. Would you have questioned the Bundesliga because of Keita, Havertz, and Werner? All those players had joined the Premier League and flopped prior to the arrival of Erling Haaland. Surely, Jorginho is a fairer representation of Italian midfielders from Serie A today than Aquilani. And I find it particularly perverse to talk about Serie A like that if you're a Liverpool fan given it's where Salah really cut his teeth. Quite why you'd have to go that far back is beyond me, why go there? And as for Borini, he was never really hyped was he? He was a promising footballer, he didn't join Liverpool off the back of winning a league title, he had a decent season in an ordinary Roma side. And neither did Dossena. And if you want to go back in history, why not go a bit further back? Some of the best Arsenal players ever came from that league, Henry, Viera, Bergkamp. The players you've listed bare no resemblance to the player Newcastle have actually signed.
Tonali was pretty much MacAllister, but a lil more defensive minded
Botman has also won Ligue 1
@@nickkilty2842 sure, he's one. I said 'not that many', I didn't say none at all.
Any reasonable Newcastle fan will tell you we were a worse team without Longstaff last season. Meaning no disrespect to Sean but it wasn't necessarily because of his ability but the type of player he is. A better version of Longstaff will mean a better version of Newcastle next season.
tough one wasn't it, we lost a certain something without him but when he played you couldn't help thinking, what if we had a more technically gifted player getting in those positions. But to Longstaff's credit it was his intelligence, tactical understanding and work rate that got him in those positions and he earned his place last year. Can't wait to see him compete for a place with someone like Tonali, might bring another level out of him or he'll be a very reliable squad player with so many games to play this season. Good thing about him and Murphy is that they'll probably happily sit on the bench and play their part this year, good teams need happy squad players.
@@dddgtsd Longstaff still has a place in this team, rotation is going to be important. Totally right when he came out of the lineup late in the season- it really wasn't the same, and agree with the rest of your take too. It will be interesting to see how quickly Tonali works himself into the starting 11.
@@jdub3559 oh yeah for sure, I commented elsewhere he'll be an important part of the squad regardless. Just feel there are two camps, ones who dont rate him then others who say he shouldn't be replaced. Truth is somewhere between, we need to improve all over the pitch but Tonali shouldn't walk into the team, like Gordon he'll find we train and play at such a high level, should be some healthy competition1
Thats why hes a decent buy, just not for that price
Personally i think you will not get top 4 this season
Newcastle officially announced his signing 10 minutes ago, how did they time this so well?!
It's been known for ages he's going there
A lot of reputable journalists confirmed it days ago
Maybe they made the video days ago and published it right around they announced. To get views around the hype.
Considering he's talking about Italy's 'current' participation in the U21 Euro, when they got eliminated a week ago, it's obvious this was filmed well in advance.
@vignotum132 I know it's been known about for ages so they would've had it ready, but uploading it within 10 minutes of it being officially announced is nuts
Newcastle is a team full of work horses, their defense and midfield beung aggressive and controling the game that way is the reason they did so well. This signing makes sense honestly
Only milan fans knows how it feels to lose him 😢 He is a world class player. Deserves every penny
Another great video, love these in depth analysis's of players.
When Longstaff was out with injury, NUFC struggled. Bringing in Tonali as another option for the role is very good business.
Could you guys do a similar video on Dominik Szoboszlai for liverpool? Would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on his role in the box midfield...
Got spoken about in the Liverpool transfer video the other day
He's good too.
Looking forward to Tonalis contribution over the coming seasons. If Longstaff can keep his head in the game he’ll play an important role too. Plenty of games in a season when adding a European cup run to the mix.
Firstly, excellent breakdown, JJ! Secondly…the Joelinton shirt is AMAZING ! 😂
That "Sunny" reference (Science is a liar SOMETIMES) is brilliant! Great Content! Keep it up
Technically very good, strong in a tackle, reads the game well, leadership qualities, experienced in Euro and Internstional tournaments, and still very young. What's there to have overpaid about? Tonali is a fantastic footballer, I'd have loved him at Liverpool.
Having Bruno G, Tonali and maybe Barella too in the same team is just amazing Newcastle know how to invest in their first good season they qualified for the UCL a tough team to beat.
Won’t get Barella too much money and will want your guarantee of minutes and who is gonna miss out??
They are not getting barella
Barella would be Dreamland but unfortunately I don't think we'll be getting him. If we do get another midfielder I think it's likely to be somebody like Kalvin Phillips on loan or a younger option. I imagine we're gonna see a lot of Joelinton on the left this year, so valuable as a pressing forward and a midfield destroyer.
Barella won’t join because he knows Willock will outperform him
He won't downgrade
You forgot Elliot Anderson, who will be a very solid backup to all midfield positions this season.
Did you 'over pay' for the Joelinton shirt 😁I do like it tho! A lucid & well thought out analysis, entertaining video thanks!
The fee is much smaller than was initially reported. It is £55mil :)
No it's not.. He is Milan's most expensive sale.. That means 60mil pounds
@@karabomafa5609that’s euros, it’s 55 million for english money
@@karabomafa5609idiot
Italian media saying it’s more when it’s not
@@wayne5240Yes, and reporting that “£50m” was “nowhere near his price” when it turned out that it was precisely 10% within range of his price.
I don't think trippier will stay on corners. We had the most in the league last year and a horrible conversion rate. I think Tonali will take them.
So annoying when commentators kept saying we’re dangerous on corners, simple because average height was a stat on their 2 minute pre-match brief
@@ian-flanagan yeah I saw another youtube pundit (who I like tbf) say we are good from corners cos our xG is high from corners but like you say we never score them. In Tripps' defence, he doest sometimes put a good ball in and Schar and Botman get the timing a bit wrong, or he'll play it to the back to Burn who puts back across and no one attacks it. Tripps is better with free kicks though hence why sometimes does a short one and tries to get the ball played back into that area further back where can get a better delivery. Be good to have more than one stop set piece taker though.
We kept aiming everything at Dan Burn was far too obvious.
As a Milan fan i have to say Newcastle got one special player. Tonali's passing range, insane stamina and the distance he covers will be the biggest asset. Leader mentality adapting even more from the likes of Ibra. One day he will return but what a player he is aswell with the physicality of Gattuso
Probably will flop so he can resign for Milan next season
You’re right but like mentioned in this video, he’s not really strong at passing.
@@majedtaleb3944 he’s not world class but he has the passing range and definitely can improve , only turned 23
Frattesi is the better midfielder, but the English won't look that far, thanks for the cash we'll have him back in 2 seasons.
@@bzilla1090 Frattesi hasn't proven half of what Tonali has yet and is no younger. We'll see how he performs at Inter, but I reckon Tonali will continue to be the better player.
I believe the arguments for being defensively sound is exactly why he'd play 6. Guimaraes's pressure pass completion rate would be more useful higher up the pitch as well
Yep, I agree.
I love premier league fans have never even seen him yet commenting him 😂 He’s a good not a great player. 70m is a MASSIVE overpay. Worth 45m max because of his age. But Serie A mids and forwards historically don’t adapt well to the Prem. Personally I think Bennacer is much better though he’s always injured.
Oh this was in the drafts 😂😂
wow this has made me reevaluate how much l view players. very good analysis thanks sir
So, he is Eddie’s UCL Securing Upgraded Target Version of Scott McTomany he so badly wanted. And from memory for less than what ManU wanted; for a lot better player for that role he was desperate to upgrade and add depth to. 10:05
There's a reason Twitter tacticos are Twitter tacticos, and not highly paid Premier League analysts and scouts.
Cool. I'm always sceptical with Serie A players cruising the pond. Hopefully he does well.
tonali is class not overrated
we'll miss him ⚫🔴⚫🔴
Milan boys always go back home. I just hope we send you back the best CM on the planet by the time he is done at Newcastle.
Where can I find that Joelinton shirt?
That Joelinton shirt really caught me off guard, ffs! 🤣
I can safely say I haven’t seen much of Tonali but I’m really looking forward to him pushing Longstaff
Going off that style he’s like a young Gerrard. Long ball attempts without insane pirlo, scholes, beckham type accuracy but an a good engine and really good at breaking forward. I can’t imagine him having the finishing ability though. No Italian midfielders can finish like Lampard and Gerrard or get in the box as much
A lot of people and so called data experts are desperate for Tonali to fail so they feel vindicated, to say I told you so. It’s nice to see everyone in the comments and this video with a fresh approach to this signing. Im excited to see him play. I really hope Gordon gives him the #8 shirt
Where can we acquire that Joelinton shirt?
Where do you get those shirt pictures from?
When Eddie gets a hold of him he will round off any jagged edges and he will fly. Great signing
It sounds expensive but thats the football transfer economics for premier league teams currently. I think its a decent price for this player profile. Its basically a Declan Rice type player and Rice is sold for 120m. Granted Rice is also English and premier league proven.
Just noticed the joelinton shirt 😂👊
finally someone understands it- all these pundits and fans keep saying he will be the main defensive midfielder and bruno become attacking, but i agree more with this strategem of him adding around him and being one of the midfielders next to bruno
I was hoping for a fence with "Good Signing" and "Bad Signing" after that "science is a liar... Sometimes" always sunny reference 😂 Bravo again!
Having seen Tonali play live few times, I can tell you he is way better than his stats say - go see him live. He's got an incredible vision to read the space, similar to Pirlo he can see the developement of the game 3-4 seconds before it happens. The reason for such a low % of successful long passes is because his teammates simply couldn't see the space, the opportunity for a run and to score. Mark my words in a few years he will become Italy's football team captain.
interesting take, sometimes you see top players put balls into spaces rather than to feet and the lesser players don't read it, I still think the percentage is a bit low even with this considered. He seems like a complete player who in the right system will be brilliant. I don't think he'll light up the league with goals and highlights but he'll play an important role.
I don't know about team captain, there are better players even at his age group, like Frattesi, Locatelli etc. Locatelli is probably still our worst piece of business.
now people have seen him live, no way you think he is an 80m midfielder lmao, enjoy the 3 year ban too
Little always sunny reference 👌
Where can I get the wall decor of the legend’s back numbers?
Came for the analysis. Stayed for the Always Sunny references.
Great video JJ. I particularly liked when you realised how we had no midfielders 😂
Most useful video I've seen on him so far.
it's basically the Athetlic article but in visual form, not criticising it because Athletic own Tifo so it makes sense.
3 minutes into the video, and just noticed Joelintion. Well done, JJ
Eddie Howe developed Almiron and Joalinton and fringe players like Jacob Murphy and Sean Longstaff. Tonali is a midfielder every top side needs if he can be developed right which I think he will.
Do one sensible transfers for Milan please!
Nice always sunny reference
Cool analysis.
The market is inflated and thus most players on the market are going for higher prices than they used to 1-2 years ago. The reason why I think this is still a good deal for Newcastle is bc I have much faith in Tonali and believe he will be worth even more in a few years
Yes, they did, but only by about 5-10m because Tonali is still very young and can further develop.
He’s essentially Italian Jordan Henderson
I'd take that, saw a few comparisons to JH and it makes sense, maybe with a bit more techniques and set piece delivery. Our system is already borrowing a little from the old Liverpool so why not get our own Hendo.
No.
It’s actually not € 70 as earlier thought, it’s lesser 😉
you Newcastle fans are funny😂.. Tonali is Milan's most expensive sale.. 55mil£ doesn't make him the most expensive.. 60mil does
you Newcastle fans are funny😂.. Tonali is Milan's most expensive sale.. 55mil£ doesn't make him the most expensive.. 60mil does
@@karabomafa5609What on earth are you talking about? Our record signing is Isak at £60M. This is not our most expensive signing.
@@georgemorley1029I think they were saying Tonali is Milan's most expensive sale not that he is Newcastle's most expensive signing
is it possible that Tonali could carry on the left where Trippier carries on the right, adding that dimension to Newcastle's play?
he seems pretty versatile so if Longy is playing out of his skin then I'm sure he could compete with Willock/Joelinton for the LCM position too.
Elliott Anderson played CM also
Good analysis, but Saint Maximin won’t be in the squad, let alone the starting team
As a Milan fan I'm devastated this happened. He was going to be our captain in a few years amd now we've replaced him with Ruben Loftus Cheek 🤦♂️
tbf.. nowadays, I don't know about price or over/under paid.. All I know Tonali is definitely a very good and special player and a superb signing for Newcastle..
Giving an opinion on what is happening with Milan. I believe getting more money in the club for transfer is the point of contention. This is one of the biggest reasons Milan did an overhaul of the management. The issue is how much money is needed. To answer this point, I would think from the perspective of the sporting objectives. This is hard to tell, but what can be certain is the club wants to keep themselves in the top 4 and going far in the CL. This runs in tandem with the idea of the management wanting to club to have a new stadium with more revenue. Saying this, why sell Tonali, this is easier to answer with the above idea. No money for transfers as there is an objective which is a long term one. New stadium, means more money and more investment in the transfer market. The idea the club has on how to stay in the top 4 is going to shift from how the midfield works. This is ambitious with a limited budget. But no more double pivots being the regular go to is the case. Then somehow get quality attackers for the starting position. I don't know how they will do the latter, since there is a limited budget.
Its actually insane. If he was English nobody would even think twice about the price. He is a very very good player with a lot of years still ahead of him. Good deal for Newcastle.
MFs spend over 100 m on rice and then get confused when someone spends less on a better player.
@@mariogbt1351Is he better just because he’s Italian?
@@mariogbt1351 tonali isnt better than rice, especially defensively
@@fox2569 He is better than Rice
@@fox2569 bro acting like British bias doesn't exist whilst being bias towards a British player.
You guys should do a similar video on Declran Rice for Arsenal
Timing 👌👌👌
He’s actually an upgrade on longstaff
You're forgetting Anderson and Gordon. I think Joelinton will be pushed to LW also.
Brilliant business. All these contracts are over 5 and 6 years. It’s easy to meet FFP requirements
where's the bg music?
Great addition for us, creating deep squad for europe champaign
Great Video Better Shirt
Where did the graphics go? They were better.
How did I not notice his shirt till the last half of the video lol
I always thought he might be a good inverted fullback
7:44 someone needs to check Newcastle’s corner stats… they are absolutely hopeless Newcastle had the most corners in the league last season (also hit the woodwork the most) yet their top scorer from corners is Own Goal… what a player
Wait what? You actually gave an answer to the question! Well done tifo. Makes a change.
Great Always Sunny reference there
I like the resale value thing. Its kind of hilarious how theres really only maybe 6-7 teams, the majority in your same league, who could possibly pay enough to maintain that resale value. HOW MANY OVER-EXPENSIVE PLAYERS CAN THOSE TEAMS POSSIBLY BUY?!
Well i thought it was timelybto revisit this today... Opening game of the season yesterday against a highly touted Aston Villa.... well Tonali absolutely stole the show. Bossed the game, covered every blade of grass. Passing, tackiling, interplay, Scored an absolutely brilliant instinctive goal. Shouldve had a second, but for a fine save from Martinez who was probably their best player. He had a hand in several of the goals (5-1 win that couldve been 9-2) Newcastles bench was stacked btw. What a season ahead.
He himself has said he doesn't wanna be Pirlo, nor does he feel his game resembles his. He's always said and believed he was more like Gattuso.
AC Milan Captain and an international,,only 23,,I think we he is a player for now and for the future and I think the price is warranted to reflect that.
I'd like to see Newcastle upgrade on the RW with another Italian player: Zaniolo. I think he has a 30 million dollar clause in his cintract in Turkey. He looked rejuvenated last season playing in an attack that really knew how to utilize him perfectly. Between Zaniolo and Saint-Maximum on the left you would have a brutally fast wing combo that would be an absolute nightmare to defend against.
I’d argue Moussa Diaby is a better buy than Zaniolo.
Could have bought Ibrahim Sangare or Florentino Luis for half the price to play as a Defensive Midfielder instead. I did the same and won the treble with Newcastle save on Football Manager
If so a fraction of what is paid currently for average-good players
A UK outlet should have no reason to report in Euros other than to sensationalise the value. Also, i hear a lot of talk about Newcastle being hugely restricted by FFP but no actual data to support. The reality is that we have no idea how much they have to spend. Newcastle have just entered a new shirt sponsor that is worth 5x more per year than the deal with Fun88 (who they have still kept as a sponsor) and also gained UCL qualification. I dont expect them to spend a ridiculous amount but i genuinely dont think anyone apart from those involved know how much they have. And lets be honest they will always bluff it, it makes no sense for it to be public knowledge if they want to spend.
Nice shirt!
Dude, what's with that Joelintin shirt?! WHAT?!
didnt united pay the same for fred? didnt chelsea pay even more for Kepa? didn't arsenal pay almost double for rice? so I dont think he's the new pirlo, but Newcastle paid standard prices for a young Italian international with some potential
How can a player be not technical sound, but a set-piece specialist. Everyone is judging him by last season's stats, he was actually quite good a regista at Brescia in a 4-3-2-1. At Milan, they dominate games and have Leao as their only outlet making darts in behind. Fizzing balls around is just not possible. That's why he struggled at start, before Pioli tweaked the system.
Newcastle should play 442. LM-Joelinton/willock RM-New signing(Veiga?)/longstaff LCM-Tonali/Joelinton RCM-Bruno/Longstaff This will be the best setup to play Wilson and Isak together.