Swazzdro Tonali

[ExiledGeordie]

42 minutes ago, CPL said:

Shelvey? 

It make such a difference having a player who can drive one on target from the edge of the box, teams have to come out and mark him and that creates more space. 

[Cronky]

I'm not sure he was given quite enough credit on TV for that second goal. He was floating about 2 foot in the air when he hit it, but he got right on top of it. Brilliant finish.

 

My doubts about this player have ebbed away. I think Bruno is getting used to his new role, which is helping a lot. It's starting to click.

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Cronky

[Erikse]

2 hours ago, GeordieDazzler said:

 

Clearly can't wait to go back to Italy.

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Erikse

[Menace]

"we look better with longstaff"

[Danh1]

Just now, Menace said:

"we look better with longstaff"

Incredible that it’s took so long to get here, but I feel Tonali has cemented himself on the team sheet the way Bruno has, for example.

 

Be furious if I see him benched for Longstaff and it isn’t fitness related.

[Weezertron]

He’s so fucking cool like. Probably only Schar that edges him in that department.

 

He already looks like an icon in our kit. I don’t know if that’s just his stoic behaviour, or his Beardsley-esque stature. He just suits it.

[RodneyCisse]

32 minutes ago, Erikse said:

 

Clearly can't wait to go back to Italy.

 

 

 

If he jumps high enough, into a plane he’ll be on his way!

[TBG]

I'm not getting too far ahead of myself, but the past couple of performances have got me thinking just how much more well suited he is for Man City than Bruno and how much we could get for him. 

[Andy]

35 minutes ago, Menace said:

"we look better with longstaff"

 

These arguments were always stupid tbh. Just ignoring all nuance and any other variables that could affect performances and results, and plumping straight for "LONGSTAFF PLAY TEAM GOOD, TONALI PLAY TEAM BAD"

[Shearergol]

9 hours ago, Heron said:

Longstaff

 

[Wilson]

Was joelinton singing the 'drinks moretti eats spaghetti' song when celebrating his 2nd?

[madras]

6 hours ago, Mike said:

I don't know what swazz is, but I know it when I see it.

Whoever the co commentator was last night said a few times of his first goal "he gets some swazz on it"

[Fak]

19 minutes ago, madras said:

Whoever the co commentator was last night said a few times of his first goal "he gets some swazz on it"

Michael Bridges

[Fak]

Just now, Fak said:

Michael Bridges

Tonali also had a volley blocked in the 18yard box last night which, if it had gone in, would have been his hat trick. 
 

Bridges then prompted the question that if you score with the outside and inside of your boot as well as your laces would that also constitute as a perfect hat trick. 

[Smal]

really enjoying his performances as a 6. He's much better at receiving the ball than I expected. 

 

Once Bruno has more playing time as an 8 I expect his performances will pick up too, which is exciting. 

[Scoot]

One of the 1st names on the teamsheet now. Another fantastic performance from him. Hopefully this is the start of everything starting to click consistently for the team.

[PauloGeordio]

Just now, Scoot said:

One of the 1st names on the teamsheet now. Another fantastic performance from him. Hopefully this is the start of everything starting to click consistently for the team.

Exciting times. Please don’t default to type away to Ipswich! 

[Myleftboot]

31 minutes ago, Fak said:

Tonali also had a volley blocked in the 18yard box last night which, if it had gone in, would have been his hat trick. 
 

Bridges then prompted the question that if you score with the outside and inside of your boot as well as your laces would that also constitute as a perfect hat trick. 

I thought the perfect hatrick was left foot,right foot and head. Like Peter lovenkrands did when playing for us. Can’t remember who it was against.

[Fak]

2 minutes ago, Myleftboot said:

I thought the perfect hatrick was left foot,right foot and head. Like Peter lovenkrands did when playing for us. Can’t remember who it was against.

Aye it is. Bridges was saying if an inside/outside and boot the laces would also be classed as a perfect hat trick. Bloke was talking absolute waffles. 

[PauloGeordio]

4 minutes ago, Fak said:

Aye it is. Bridges was saying if an inside/outside and boot the laces would also be classed as a perfect hat trick. Bloke was talking absolute waffles. 

Swazzles! 

[Kid Icarus]

2 hours ago, Andy said:

 

These arguments were always stupid tbh. Just ignoring all nuance and any other variables that could affect performances and results, and plumping straight for "LONGSTAFF PLAY TEAM GOOD, TONALI PLAY TEAM BAD"

That's also a bit of a strawman that ironically ignores all of the nuance and other variables about the argument that was being made at the time. Longstaff and Tonali are no longer vying for the same position for a start. 

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Kid Icarus

[Andy]

1 hour ago, Kid Icarus said:

That's also a bit of a strawman that ironically ignores all of the nuance and other variables about the argument that was being made at the time. Longstaff and Tonali are no longer vying for the same position for a start. 

 

The argument being made earlier in the season, by a lot of people, not everyone, was that in the games where we won, we did so because Longstaff was on the pitch. 

 

The statement "we were winning when Longstaff was on the pitch" may be true, but it evidently wasn't the reason. I had at least one lengthy argument on here that removing Longstaff from the team and adding in Tonali (which is what has happened, regardless of the positional switch) was a no brainer. People were saying they couldn't see what Tonali offered that Longstaff didn't because he wasn't changing the game in 30 minutes cameos where we were losing. 

 

It's absolutely no surprise that finding a way to build the team around the best central midfielder on our books has seen a tangible improvement in both form and performances. 

[Kid Icarus]

6 minutes ago, Andy said:

 

The argument being made earlier in the season, by a lot of people, not everyone, was that in the games where we won, we did so because Longstaff was on the pitch. 

 

The statement "we were winning when Longstaff was on the pitch" may be true, but it evidently wasn't the reason. I had at least one lengthy argument on here that removing Longstaff from the team and adding in Tonali (which is what has happened, regardless of the positional switch) was a no brainer. People were saying they couldn't see what Tonali offered that Longstaff didn't because he wasn't changing the game in 30 minutes cameos where we were losing. 

 

It's absolutely no surprise that finding a way to build the team around the best central midfielder on our books has seen a tangible improvement in both form and performances. 

 

Obviously it'll depend on who you were talking to about it, but I know that the argument I (and I think Heron) had was that like-for-like, as in Tonali or Longstaff in that right-sided 8 position it was a no-brainer about who was more effective, regardless of  talent. The whole back and forth had loads of caveats about how long-term Tonali should obviously play and that we need to find a role for him and so on. Suggesting that the argument was as reductive as 'Longstaff plays so we're better than if we play Tonali' isn't really fair like.

 

You say 'regardless of the positional switch', but I think that's really something you can't disregard when that in itself means he's not in competition with Longstaff for the same role anymore. It's Bruno vs Longstaff now and it was only maybe 3 weeks ago when Tonali - having been completely wasted in the right-sided position was tried out and in competition with Willock and Joelinton on the left side. Howe's only finally settled on putting him in the 6 with Bruno on the right since Liverpool 2 weeks ago.