Sandro Tonali has told Italian TV that Tottenham’s win over Coventry “marked the conclusion” of the first part of the season, while admitting that “we haven’t achieved anything yet”.
The midfielder spoke to Sky in Italy, as reported by Milan News, with Spurs under pressure after a slow start. Goals from James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies had sealed a 3-1 victory over Coventry.
That start followed a huge summer in which Tottenham spent £334m on new signings to reshape Roberto De Zerbi’s squad. Expectations were high, and the Lilywhites have so far found themselves in the wrong half of the table.
Tonali knows the weight of that spend. His message is that the dressing room has moved on and wants to build.
What did Sandro Tonali say about the Coventry win?
Tonali treated the result as a line drawn under the early weeks. “Monday marked, in a way, the conclusion of this first part of the season,” he said. “It’s a process of continuous growth; rather than dwelling on how we started, we need to focus on the positives.”
He was just as clear that there is no time to relax. “Over the past week, we’ve really come together as a group, and we can’t stop now. We have a tough away match coming up; we need to stay positive and play our own brand of football.”
That tough away match was Stamford Bridge, and Tottenham followed up with a 2-0 win. Our Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham match report has the full story of a result that was only Spurs’ second Premier League win at the ground.
Sandro Tonali on De Zerbi and the weight of expectation
Tonali also spoke warmly about the manager. “Our performances have been excellent, and everyone is very fond of the manager, who, incidentally, suffers more than anyone else here at Tottenham,” he said. “We know we owe it to him to give our all, because, in truth, we haven’t achieved anything yet.”
De Zerbi himself has been open about the change in the group. He explained what shifted in his own words after the Chelsea game, in our piece on the big meeting that changed Tottenham’s season.
What is next for Tottenham after the Chelsea win?
After the trip to Chelsea, Tottenham take on Crystal Palace, Leeds, Ipswich Town and Sunderland, although only two of those are at home. They are fixtures De Zerbi and his players will have looked at and fancied taking points from.
There is also the fitness picture to manage. Our update on De Zerbi’s verdict on James Maddison, the man who scored against Coventry, shows how quickly good momentum can be tested.
Author opinion
Talk like this is cheap until it is backed up, and Tonali seems to know it. Saying “we haven’t achieved anything yet” after a win is the right tone for a squad that cost £334m and has had a difficult opening. The Chelsea result gave him something to build on. Now Tottenham need to turn a good week into a good month.
