The GLADIATOR is back! Why Sandro Tonali can transform NUFC!

well hello again from here inside the city ground where it's a dam side quieter than it was an hour ago when Newcastle supporters were celebrating that penalty shoot out Victory just over my shoulder there and seren and Sandro Tali and so they should as well you know that felt like such a special important moment for for the team for the club for the players for the fans as well and there's a hell of a lot to get through here I said in the video yesterday I thought Newcastle would win on penalties I also said Sandra Tali would play well well he he was better than that he played fantastic Ally well now like I said there's a lot to talk about which I'll come to Joe Wick's injury the performance in general that wasn't really great you know in the significance of extracting Victory from night in terms of what it means for the mood coming out of the summer but there's only one place to start and that is Sandro Tali and wow I thought that was a a real master class there tonight a real reminder at times he was almost playing not in Forest on his own as I've written him a match report for the Daily Mail tomorrow well he played like a gladiator on his debut a year ago and here tonight on his return he picked up his sword and his shield I really thought he was that good and just a a reminder of what he can bring to the team listen a lot of you guys are probably screaming back at it saying I'm too fced you know that after Sandra's initial debut last year that I was fairly critical of him and he say it's criticism it was just the the reality of the situation I thought after that brilliant wonderful opening game against Aston Villa I thought he I thought he did come off it now there are a million reasons why that may have been you know subsequently what came out of course there was a a mental burden there well he played as if free from that t night and he played like the player we thought he was going to go onto B after that opening game against Aston Villa there really is just a a Majesty about him a matchism as well the way struts the way he carries himself there's two elements of this there was the there was the physical side of it and there was the technical side the the running you know I run the bit yesterday the inside story of Sandro tali's 10 month out how you know guys on the inside had told me that he was running harder and faster than anybody else well wow he took that into the game then there was no finer example of the the physicality meeting the technical superiority than the opening goal after 18 seconds it's tali's little cute pass through the lines that sets alaron clear he doesn't just stand there and admire it he gets on his motor and he absolutely charges in the area and if the ball doesn't fall to Jo will it it probably Falls to toar himself he married those two you know the The graft and The Craft as we see it but it's passing as well it was just such a and I think it was I think it stood out because we haven't really seen that from a Newcastle Midfield this season really in terms of that quality in terms of that that technical you know he's a technician he's just so wonderful to watch I've always said this you can tell why Eddie how uses the phrase which is unusual Freddy he fell in love watching him play forc Milan it's the he's got the first pass in his head before it comes to him he plays through the lines whenever he possibly can he plays forward and it's always invariably accurate you know I just thought I used that word there Master Cass I really thought in terms of the the composure I showed on the ball it was just head and shoulders above what anybody else off had married with the fact that he was just running as I've used that phrase already he was just running harder and faster than anyone else as well and I thought he really was brilliant to the point where after half an hour he actually sat down because he felt a bit sick Eddie how was just told us and so he should be after 10 month out he should be exhausted but he got back up and he went again and you know for an hour until he went off you know deservedly to that reception I thought he was newcastle's best player by some distance and really wed the appetite for what he can bring to a team that needs that you know because if we go back and we talk about the performance in general L they had the the most wonderful start after 18 seconds in the goal there when Joe willick on his first start since April follows up from the the isach shot it's rebounded and puts it in did Newcastle build on that no it didn't not at all really will it goes off injured after 15 minutes I think that did disrupt things a little bit because he was playing well you know he looked as if he had energy in in his legs in fact the point at which he got injured he was charging back into the box to correct an error by one of his teammates and prevent a a forest shot on goal now the news on that is that anyhow didn't sound hopeful he called it a big blow with us just now there downstairs and he said Joe Willi has got a pain in his thigh now thankfully he's not his Achilles if it had been his Achilles I think you would have looked at that and thought well wow you know without sounding too grave if your Achilles goes for the third time you you're talking you career endowed potentially thankfully it's a thigh even though it doesn't seem like a very good thigh uh if that makes sense so we'll wait and see more news on that at the end of the week but yes mood music around that postmatch wasn't good but anyway back to the performance on the subject of things that that weren't good at least as the first half played out and going into the second half to be given that wonderful start Newcastle l verted back to what we saw a little bit down at bourou spells and even the opening half hour against sou them in there apart from Tali they they lose the ball a lot you know Joe Linton it was bouncing off midtimes Lewis Hall repeatedly sadly gave away possession in that left back position a couple of times Ed he how sort of SPO on his heels and put his head in his hands and frustration it allall uh second balls you know they they don't win any second balls now a player like Joe Linton in there you thought that would have improved certainly on the opening weekend against Southampton he showed that that physicality and he thought he was going to bring that to the to the team but you know I don't think he has in the last two games uh Bruno came on and Bruno did okay in terms of you know on the ball but did they really stamp their Authority on that Midfield did they really take control tarly apart well well no they didn't and they end up letting notam Forest back into the game and it really was a bit of a uh mystery Miracle whatever you want to call it how Newcastle got to half time you know with that with that LE lead intact then come out in the second half and it doesn't really improve it just it just doesn't and you're looking at them and you're thinking well what's the what's the identity here you know any how teams you've always been able to to look at them and identify you know the the patterns of play The Playbook you can see it unfolding before it actually happens on the pitch well that ceased a little bit going into this season and the mitigating factors you know the best players they like Bruno kamares and Gordon are coming back after International Duty in longest Summers so I do think they'll get there do you think it'll click you know I'm not you know I'm not labeling this uh crisis it's never going to change but you've got to you've got to say it as you see it and it wasn't good then it was only when they actually made the changes and Harvey Barnes came to the right Anthony Gordon came on Tino leento came on I thought that Newcastle finished the game strongly in the final sort of 15 minutes and as you would probably expect Forest made 10 changes here you know don't forget so they were naturally going to tie I thought given the 10 changes and N the strength of newcastle's side given the start that had the should have been you know they should have been out of sight I was expecting a fairly easy night for Newcastle after that opening but as it was it wasn't and they've had to call on those reserves as Eddie's just said to us afterwards they you know those reserves the battling qualities which you've seen them through to this point so far this season but that only goes so far there comes a comes a point where you know that quality has got to take over and that's why I'm so encouraged by tar return because I do think he provides that but anyway during that final 15 minutes Newcastle did well I thought Harvey Barnes was a real threat he's got two big chances to win it and Gordon on the left bars on the right perhaps it can work you know I screamed in the video down at Bournemouth that I think that's the way for new to go forward and I would like to see that from the start against Spurs on Sunday even though he's hinted that he perhaps he perhaps won't do he does have certain rules and certain things he sticks to whereby Jacob Murphy or Migel alaron will start on the on the right and it'll be oneof Barnes or Gordon on the left we'll have to wait and see there but I would like to see that change made so anyway it gets them through to to the end and they do look more more likely winners as the game closes and straight to penalties thankfully Which is far better for deadlines and far better for my Prospect of making last orders in the hotel no extra time and then and the girl there behind us Joe Linton misses his penalty which again you know he wasn't all bad tonight but if any player stepped up and I thought probably is going to miss it wasn't a bad penalty by the way and I think it's a great flying safe by the the forest goalkeeper Miguel on his debut it's probably a nice enough height but he just had that sort of feel around Joe Linton that's 3-1 up in front of the forest fans but then they keep the cool they take good penalties they show nerve to show battling qualities in a different way allbe it from a from a penalty spot Anthony Gordon Bruno gares and then it falls to to sha long staff to win it after two shotgun forward penalties one that hit the ball and the second one that didn't even make the ball in fact you know if we if we had a little look in the upper tier there some we might find ourselves a match ball take that back for my little boys they would enjoy that but anyway uh Sean Long staff steps up and yeah cool as he like ruls at the bottom corner and the this was the question I asked V afterwards and he laughed at it because I said you know there's a big difference between defeat and and victory to which he sort of well what do you want me to stay you're stay in the obvious I am stay in the obvious I said can you sort of please talk to my my match report I've sort of kind of made that that point and the the point I make which I'll try to expand on in narrative video form now is that it was huge if Newcastle lose that the feeling coming out of uh a difficult Summer by Eddie how's own admission with the PSR weekend with Anthony Gordon with all the England talk with regards himself Amanda and Murad going uh Paul Mitchell James buns coming in Kier and trippier they haven't yet got any you know Margy signings over the line that's still going to drag on the last 24 hours of the window if they'd lost here tonight I just think it paints an entirely different picture coming out of the the window in terms of the mood the feel good the momentum the confidence everything so to reverse that penalty shootout and get a victory and stay in the caribo cup one of only three competitions of Court which in this season was the point I was making do not underestimate the significance of that I think it is absolutely massive I really do so to extract Victory from a performance that wasn't great to put themselves in the next round with for once kind of favorable draw away a league to opposition AFC wimbl I think that's a brilliant tie I think it's fascinating I really I really do so so uh yeah you're leaving here tonight I think with a great deal more positivity But ultimately the overriding reason for that positivity should be the performance of Sandro tonali I just thought it was yeah a a reminder of what we saw on his debut a reminder why he arrived here which such with such pedigree as AC Milan's Captain as an Italy International he just was he was head and shoulders in terms of everyone on the pitch newcastle's players Forest players in terms of that quality just to watch him and see the he sees the passes before the ball you know before it gets there the the execution of those passes as well I just I thought he was brilliant I'm just so excited now to see him in the remainder of the season going forward which takes us onto my Merit marks in which he might feature one star in ascending order well that goes to Tino liento I said down it Bournemouth on Sunday that Kieran trippier is a better player still than livero and should probably be in the team ahead of him and I you know I do still I do still stand by that but I thought when liento came on uh that's the best he's played this season we actually saw and I've been a little bit critical of this I don't think we've seen livero attacking side during the opening two games we did there and yes new clew were pushing on against the tire team he's got to prove that against you know better opposition from the offic lentino but certainly there that was the player we saw uh particularly in this competition last season funny enough I thought he was good when he came on and he is as much as anyone was responsible for that late Resurgence two stars that goes to play I've already talked about Harvey Barnes yes that that final ball that finish that assist whatever it may be perhaps was missing but he was a real threat I thought he looked fit I thought he looked Lively slide power in his body towards the end there when he's chopping and changing and get himself into positions for those shots so he's someone I would like to say stay in the team I've already made that clear and the two stars well yeah that goes to uh Sandro Ole oay Ole so yeah I think that is probably the best place to finish it I've said as much as I can about him uh in the the scenes at the end there they were they were so important for him because I think he spoken this week and he's been so genuine in terms of such a great quote he said you know the the love and the support I've had from Newcastle supporters you would have think I'd been here 10 years you know not 10 months and for for him to respond coming out tonight and this listen there's a chance it may be driven sound negative there's a chance it may be driven by High adrenaline there's a chance there may be a dip like I thought that was after the Aston Villa game last year but you know let's hope not because there was absolutely a fantastic fantastic footballer in there and one who can make a huge difference Newcastle season uh going forward so going forward next it is Tottenham hotsp on Sunday before signing off for the international break a huge game now Newcastle traditionally get uh three points against Tottenham at St James and a handsome Victory with it I don't think it's going to be that straightforward this time but we'll be speaking to Ed how on Friday up at the training ground ahead of that which uh which would bring us on the deadline date as well now Eddie was asked about transfers tonight he said he's got no update he' be finding out more uh when he leaves the stadium now my information is again you know I was asked about this last night on X and on television I do think more guy still will happen Palace were waiting to get the center half in I think there's been movement today on that in terms of the greater price once that happens I do expect guy to arrive here not here but you know at Newcastle United so uh yeah guys still plenty to play out over the next 48 hours so thank you again so much for watching please tell me what you thought Sandro tanali below the line you know comment like subscribe there's a thanks button now as well and I'll see you again I'll try to get through as many comments as possible I'll see you again in a couple of days time little scan of this place before we go okay take care guys byebye