Sandro Tonali decision made as Eddie Howe admits mistake in awful Newcastle United defeat


It was Kevin Keegan who once famously said you have to give Newcastle United fans "what they want".

As Eddie Howe prepares for a tough run of fixtures against Man City (h), Everton (a), Brighton (h), Chelsea (a) and Arsenal (h), it shouldn't be lost that the United faithful are ready to see Sandro Tonali get a run in the team. It was Tonali's name that reverberated around King's Cross Station on Saturday morning as the black and white masses descended on the capital.

They hoped that the Italy international would start the clash at Craven Cottage after a week of intense football chatter about who would be in Howe's midfield three. In the end, Howe went for Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Joe Willock but it didn't go well.

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Willock was clearly not ready for a start, Joelinton looked off the pace and Bruno ended the game with a disastrous pass across his own 18-yard box which killed the game off. Tonali has played twice for 90 minutes in Italy colours over the international break, much to the delight of Luciano Spalletti who described him as a "very strong" option.

But still Newcastle fans wait for that first Tonali start in the Premier League. His name was chanted into the warm late summer air on the banks of the Thames on Saturday as fans enjoyed boat trips in the capital.

Then in Craven Cottage, he was serenaded for long periods while warming up before finally getting the nod with 17 minutes to go. Joelinton had been way off the pace but survived Howe's half-time blasting before making way for Tonali.

When asked about the clamour for Tonali to start Howe told Chronicle Live: "There is no doubting Sandro's quality. But I have to introduce Sandro at the right time for everybody."

With supporters eager to see that sooner rather than later, and with those Italy 90 minute run outs in mind, Howe was told about the appetite for the £55million man to get a run in the team. He responded: "I am Sandro's biggest supporter as well. But I can only judge what I see.

"Sandro came on the pitch today, I don't think we were particularly good in that phase of the game. I wanted us to chase the game better towards the end. But every player has the chance to make the difference when they are on the pitch."

Expanding on his decision to go with Willock from the start, Howe said: "Joe (Willock) did so well against Wolves and I felt it was right to reward him with a start but then you see the game and I question whether that was the right decision from myself so I’ll take responsibility for that.

"Joe is just back from injury and done very well to come back, he’s such a big player for us and I was keen to see him play but it was a tough one for him and the team."