The ‘Tonali formula’

SA Eddie Howe They call him ‘the quiet man’ on Tyneside for his calm demeanor, calmness in the face of problems and empathy when solving them. In the English coach of Newcastle United, the architect of placing the ‘Magpies’ in the European showcase of Champions Leaguehe is revered in Saint James’s Park. They praise him and recognize his managerial virtues, the same ones with which he has now managed to recover his team, after a difficult transition for months due to injuries and internal problems. With his patient, careful and quiet disposition, how He avoids the spotlight, but he is now the image of the club and the key to its big change. He was looking for solutions, with tactical variants, until finding a formula that has once again made Newcastle one of the most consistent teams in the league. Premier League. The ‘formula Tonal‘.

The new one now has nine consecutive victories Newcastle of how in all competitions, in a great month of December. Contrary to what one might think, the cold winter of the English northeast suits the Italian Sandro Tonalwhich is now one of its references. After a stormy year due to his 10-month ban for breaching his country’s betting code, the technical quality and player hierarchy of lodi They are beginning to bear fruit, with a fan base that adores him and sings sympathetically to him in Italian. Tonal He has adapted to English life and the idiosyncrasies of Tyneside ‘geordies’, and now emerges as the team’s new image. Beside Bruno Guimaraes and Joelintonincorporating one of the most powerful, cohesive and solid midfields in the Premier League.

how places Tonal as defensive reinforcement and reference at the beginning of plays, thus moving Guimaraes as an inside attack, to take advantage of his attributes in assists and arrivals in the rival area. With them, in a game of careful defense-attack balance, the ‘Magpies’ found a system in which they were comfortable. And the result was the performance of their three starting forwards, all in good shape, Isaac, Gordon and Murphywhere Newcastle once again placed itself at the top of the English league, fighting for the ‘Champions League’ positions. Isak takes all the honors, as he has already scored 15 goals, at the level of Haaland and wrongbut this is the block that works very effectively.

Alan Shearer’s record fell

Two Swede goals against Wolverhampton (3-0), in Wednesday’s exciting night at Saint Jame’s Park, they have already put him in the club’s record book. He scored in eight straight games and surpassed the records of a previous idol, Alan Shearer. Isaac He has scored 17 goals in 21 games, including 12 of his last 10. He is the star of a team that is unstoppable, but the secrets of his success come from the back: the combination of power, speed and skill in midfield, including Guimaraes, Tonal and Joelinton helping him in attacks. Having seen the conduct of Newcastle, the joy which has reawakened on the banks of the Tyne is not surprising. After defeating Arsenal at the Emirates in London, in the first leg of the semi-final of the EFL Cup (0-2), they are one step away from playing in the final or, in other words, the fight for a title they will not to win since 1969.

If necessary, calmness and caution always come Eddie Howe. “We want them to keep dreaming, I don’t have a problem with that, but we need to improve,” he said. how after beating Wolverhampton–. “Tonight was not perfect, the last 20 minutes were not good, even though we won 3-0.” how referred to the two shots in the woodwork of ‘Wolves’ and a definite respite in the latter stages, but luck was on the side of Newcastle. This comfortable victory was their ninth in a row, equaling the club record set by Kevin Keegan in 1994 and last equaled in 2016.

Their fourth position in the Premier, with 38 points, ahead of Chelsea, Manchester Cityand Aston Villaspeaks for itself about the regular and rising trajectory of the ‘magpies’. They are just three points behind Nottingham Forest, an unexpected guest at the European party and they lost to City land. Undoubtedly, a return to the Champions League has become a realistic goal for Magpies fans, which would be another brilliant achievement for a team that looks set to go through the third transfer window without signing any players to improve the starting line-up. eleven. Problems with compliance with Premier’s maintenance standards continue to handcuff it Newcastle of the Arab capital, which was not as fast as the fans expected.

The new stadium is pending

The Arab investors, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, did not put in the promised money to continue growing, but there are several reasons that justify it, losses of 170 million in the last two years, aggravated by the club not qualifying for European tournaments. With 52,000 spectators, the stadium still has a unique and very special atmosphere, key to victories, but it cannot meet the demand for tickets to compete on an equal basis with the ‘Big Six’.

These economic concerns are now governed by the pleasures of the pitch, because nothing would be the same, without the continued successes of this sensation. Newcastle of Eddie Howewith the goals of Isaac and with Tonal on command. ‘Intensity is our identity’, the motto that continues to appear in the squad of these renewed ‘magpies’, who are called not to go down from the top of the Premier.