Antonio Cassano has taken aim at Sandro Tonali, claiming the Tottenham midfielder is “making a fool of himself” in north London, and that Italy should have found room for Frosinone’s Giacomo Calò.
The former Italy striker was speaking on Viva El Futbol about Roberto Mancini’s midfield choices for this month’s Nations League double header. His view is simple: Calò has earned a call-up, and he isn’t impressed by Tonali, Nicolò Barella or Nicolò Fagioli.
It is a harsh verdict on a player who has become a regular for Roberto De Zerbi since arriving in the summer. Tonali has played ten times in the Premier League for Spurs, and while his output has varied, his influence has grown in recent weeks.
What did Cassano say about Tonali?
Cassano started with Calò, the 29-year-old who has arguably been the best midfielder in Serie A this season but was left out of Mancini’s squad. “What Calò is doing is clear for all to see, I would have called him up,” he said.
He accepted that a player of Calò’s level would struggle to get in a side full of world-class midfielders, before turning on the current group. “But if Mancini is giving opportunities to young players and then you have players like Fagioli who is neither fish nor fowl, then Barella has been on a downward spiral for three or four years, Tonali is making a fool of himself at Tottenham,” Cassano said.
“I would have called Calò up for these two games, it’s the pitch that speaks for itself.”
Who is Giacomo Calò?
Calò is a deep-lying playmaker, and Cassano called him the linchpin of a Frosinone side that is sixth in the table under Alvini. “Frosinone are sixth in the table, they’re doing well with a poor team, Alvini is doing a great job and Calò is the linchpin,” he said.
He did add a warning about the noise around the player’s omission. “Calò is no Xavi, Iniesta, or Pirlo, but it bothers me that his agent is talking; he should keep quiet and negotiate with the teams,” Cassano said. “I’m not good at being a coach, but I would have called him because the pitch is where to do the talking.”
Where does Tonali stand with Italy?
Mancini clearly doesn’t share Cassano’s view. Tonali is in Italy’s 32-player list, published by the Italian federation on 9 November, for the games against France in Milan on Thursday and Belgium in Brussels on Sunday.
The timing of the attack isn’t ideal for him, though. Tonali was one of the senior players De Zerbi said had fallen below their level in the 1-0 defeat at Leeds, and the midfielder himself admitted Spurs “created probably nothing” for a spell in the second half at Elland Road.
He has also spoken this month about what Mancini has changed since returning as Italy boss, so he will be keen to answer the criticism on the pitch over the international break. He is one of several Spurs players away with their countries, as our guide to where Tottenham’s internationals play this break shows.
Is Cassano being unfair on Tonali?
Yes, and the comparison doesn’t really work. Calò is a pure regista, not a physical midfielder, and he is at his best as the deepest player in the middle. Tonali is a different animal: he thrives covering ground, going box to box, and that is exactly what De Zerbi has used him for at N17.
He hasn’t been consistent, and Leeds was a poor afternoon. But “making a fool of himself” is a stretch for a player who has walked into a new club and a new system and is already a regular. There is nothing to stop Mancini picking both of them, and if Calò does force his way in, Tonali would be the last midfielder we’d expect to make way.
