Sandro Tonali is one of the irreplaceable players in AC Milan’s starting line-up at the moment, and he is enjoying an excellent 2022 so far.
Calciomercato.com recalls how much has changed for Tonali in the past five months as he was a protagonist in the Scudetto win thanks to the goal against Lazio in the last minute and the brace against Hellas Verona. On Sunday, the midfielder will return to the Bentegodi to face the Gialloblu.
It was a Sunday night last season when Milan made the trip to Verona looking for a win to keep pace in the battle with Inter for the Scudetto. Stefano Pioli’s decision to play Tonali a bit further up the field proved to be a winning move, because the former Brescia man produced the well-timed runs that were asked of him and he netted twice in the comeback win.
Now Tonali is quite simply crucial to Pioli’s plans and with 992 minutes played this season – behind only the centre-back pairing of Tomori-and Kalulu – it shows the centrality of the Italian who is now a leader in the dressing room too.
He led by example in fighting for every ball during the match against Chelsea at San Siro after the red card, and the contract extension he recently got until 2027 with a pay rise shows the club’s faith.
