The Chronicle (UK)

Tonali proves he must be back in the starting eleven

NEWCASTLE United are proving very hard to beat this season. It’s now five unbeaten, despite not playing well, and the best start to a league campaign for close to 30 years.

Yet, nagging doubts still linger over the Magpies’ average performanc­es and Eddie Howe’s team selection. Newcastle may have clambered over the line in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Wolverhamp­ton Wanderers but the head coach got his starting XI wrong at Molineux.

It was a surprise to see in-form Harvey Barnes dropped to the bench, it was odd to see Lewis Hall reinstated over Lloyd Kelly for a game on the road and, after such a strong internatio­nal break, it was hoped Sandro Tonali would be thrown in from the outset for his first Premier League start of the season.

In fairness to Howe, he rectified his initial mistakes pretty quickly. He should be commended for the bold half-time changes as he pulled no punches hooking his midfield men as Newcastle trailed at the interval.

“There wasn’t any hesitation from my view. We needed to inject some energy and just a new dynamic into the team,” the boss explained at full-time.

But surely now Howe has his answer over Tonali in particular; the Italian needs to be back among the starters on Tyneside. After 10 months of training football and gruelling sessions behind the scenes,

Tonali already looks up to speed with the pace and physicalit­y of top flight football.

Two 90-minute outings for Italy in midweek may have played on Howe’s mind as he tries to manage the former AC Milan star’s phased return after such a lengthy absence. However, Tonali continued that fine internatio­nal form as he returned to club duties on Sunday.

After his half-time introducti­on, the 24-year-old recorded 15 of 16 accurate passes, fired two shots at goal, won three of his four ground duels and drew two fouls as Newcastle went in search of flipping the game on its head.

Away from the stats, he offered energy and experience as the visitors attempted to wrestle back momentum. This version, Tonali 2.0, looks fitter, stronger, hungrier and accustomed to playing alongside his Tyneside colleagues.

There was a positional experiment quietly tested by Howe after his emergence from the bench too. Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes’ roles temporaril­y switched during the second half, with the former moving from a right-sided midfielder to a deep-lying No 6, subsequent­ly allowing Guimaraes to push further forward with the ball.

It is a tactic Howe has used, during recent games as he utilises Tonali’s versatilit­y to play anywhere across the midfield three. Is it the answer going forward?

Well, the jury remains out as to whether the two aforementi­oned stars, and Joelinton, can all play together given how little we have seen that particular trio over the last 12 months - but supporters have certainly made it clear they want to see the big names deployed together from the outset going forward.

Of course, there are plenty of positives to Sean Longstaff’s

game - and Howe has shown time and time again he very rarely wants to drop the academy graduate from his side due to the balance he offers and his ability to impact games at the top end of the pitch. The

25-year-old has drasticall­y improved his finishing in recent seasons, while he

often goes under the radar with his solid Newcastle performanc­es.

Sunday was a struggle for Longstaff, who failed to win any of his six duels during the first-half at Molineux as he was dribbled past three times.

Then there is Joe Willock, who emerged along with Tonali at the break. It was a welcomed return for the former Arsenal star, who offers the Magpies so much going forward with his tenacious and positive running with or without the ball. If he stays fit, and it’s a big if after the previous 12 months, he too will be pushing for more game time in Howe’s setup.

There are now questions for the Newcastle boss to answer. It is a positive dilemma to have, having five top-class operators battling it out for three starting spots. But it feels like Tonali has done more than enough to be thrown back in from the outset - starting with this weekend at Fulham.