Sandro Tonali: Profiling Italy's next Andrea Pirlo

Sandro Tonali is currently one of the most sought after young midfield talents in Europe. The 18-year-old Italian plays for Serie B side Brescia and was handed his first call up to the Azzurri last year.

Being called up to the national team from the second tier league at such a young age highlights Tonali’s obvious talents, which has made the Italian press believe he has the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the history of Italian football.

Tonali has already made over 40 senior appearances for Brescia since making his debut at the age of 17 years. He was named Serie B footballer of the year last season, his first full season with the club he has spent most of his youth career at.

Style of play

Many have labelled Tonali the new Pirlo and rightly so. The 18-year-old is a carbon copy of the former Italian legend not only in the role he plays on the pitch but also in his looks. Tonali, just like Andrea Pirlo, is a pure Regista and his movements and body language on the pitch resemble the former Juventus player.

His long and curly hair make the comparisons almost perfect. Moreover, the fact that both of them started their youth career at Brescia speaks volumes.

In Brescia's preferred 4-3-1-2 formation, Tonali sits at the base of the three midfielders to form a midfield diamond. The teenager then does what he does best, dictating the play and controlling possession using his passing. His passing ability coupled with his tendency to stay calm and collected with the ball makes him suitable to the Regista role.

Strengths and weaknesses

Tonali can be a ball winner as well as a dictator of play.

He combines strength and energy to excel in his role of a deep-lying midfielder capable of winning the ball back as well as providing quick, incisive passes. He loves the physical side of the game; something that can be understood from the fact that he once declared former AC Milan legend Rino Gattuso as his role model.

As for the Pirlo comparisons, he inspired me but I’ve never seen another like him. Maybe my hair is similar. My role model was [Gennaro] Gattuso in terms of grit.

Apart from using his physicality to win the ball back, the 18-year-old has a superb reading of the game which allows him to make tons of interceptions.

As a deep-lying playmaker, the young midfielder is required to initiate attacks from his own half using his passing range; something that he does really well. He is comfortable with both short and long sweeping passes. His ability to pick out the forwards or switch the point of attack from a deeper position is what has led to the Pirlo comparisons.

Tonali has brilliant positioning and is also great at understanding space and exploiting it. He is a technically gifted young player with brilliant football IQ and technique. In the Brescia structure, he normally positions himself in front of the first line of pressure to attract the attention of both the forwards and midfielders.

This creates space for his teammates and passing lanes as well. By receiving the ball behind the opposition's first press, he automatically beats the first line of defence.

Sandro Tonali representing Italy at the U19 European Championships in 2018

Another feature of Tonali’s game that only a few people notice is his dribbling. He uses his quick feet and a simple technique to get out of tight areas and create space for himself.

Bottom Line

The resemblance to Andrea Pirlo is striking. From his reading of the game to his movements on the pitch and striking resemblance, the youngster looks like a reincarnation of the former Rossoneri regista.

However, carving out a career as successful as the one Pirlo had will depend on many factors. Predicting the future of young players is quite hard, but there is no doubt that if he continues to develop, he can soon become one of Italy's greatest.