Verona-Milan, Tonali: the birthday, Pioli’s move, the Rossoneri soul

This time Santa Lucia was not needed, who twelve years ago had asked for “Milan shirt, shorts and socks”. Much better to express the wish on the day of one’s birthday, which in the case of Sandro Tonali coincided with Verona-Milan. Birthday number 22. “It is a beautiful night for me and for the AC Milan fans – said the midfielder after the match -. Today we understood that we are strong, down 1-0, in a difficult stadium. In the last matches we did not start at 100%. , we have shown that we are focused on all aspects “.

the shotgun, what a gift!

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We do not know if he even went so far as to ask for a brace as a gift. We only know, however, that the brace has arrived and weighs like a boulder in the sprint for the Scudetto. If the Devil really gets his hands on his nineteenth title, Sandro’s championship final – goal against Lazio, twice goal against Verona – will undoubtedly be one of the three decisive factors to put on the podium. In short, a Tonali-center forward, like Ibra. “If Zlatan has charged us? When he says something like this he means that he is there with us too, he wants to win and he wanted to win it – continued Sandro -. When he entered he put his hand on the third goals “.

Symbiosis

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They said he scored little. Indeed, a year ago they also said that maybe he wasn’t from Milan. And then we know how she went. A year to settle in, a few weeks to convince Milan to redeem him (thanks also to a personal financial renunciation, obviously much appreciated by the club), a month to take the Devil. Because this is Tonali’s AC Milan very strongly and seeing such a championship final it is nice to be able to witness similar parables. For the fans it is the perfect story because Sandro was a Rossoneri fan as a child and seeing him score is like seeing one of them score. “If it counts to be a Milan fan? I think so – continued Tonali -, when Milan wins I’m happy twice and when they lose it’s not the same thing. There are pros and cons, but being a Milan fan on evenings like this is an advantage.” .

Movements

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A symbiosis that blossomed since the goal in Bergamo, at the beginning of the season, however preceded by performances that were very different from those of last season. Tonali in Verona was Pioli’s wild card not only in terms of construction. It was the rabbit extracted from the coach’s hat, the surprise move, the tactical key that unhinged Verona. Pioli advanced him about twenty meters, asking him to abandon his usual territories in front of the defense, and to strengthen the offensive phase. Attacking midfielder, but also an added attacker. Impossible to decipher given the rotations that allowed him to arrive in the area with the naturalness of a center forward. Someone, after seeing this match, compared him to Pippo Inzaghi because Sandro scored both goals in the small area. Following Leao’s movements and steps with the mentality of the tip. In retrospect it is easy to say that the Verona match was probably in his destiny. Because there was the middle birthday and because in Sandro the Var had already canceled one. Bello, a mixture of power and technique, after a quarter of an hour of the game. Instead, damned offside. Statistics show that Tonali is the first player in the history of AC Milan capable of scoring multiple A on his birthday, and also that he is the youngest midfielder with at least five goals in this league (considering all players only Hickey is younger). “Happy birthday to me”, he wrote on social media after the game. It was undoubtedly the best it could possibly be.