Tonali admits he ‘changed something’ and ‘started from scratch’ ahead of Scudetto season

AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali has admitted that he made changes ahead of last season and ‘really started from scratch’ before his brilliant 2021-22 campaign.

DAZN aired a special about the last Serie A season and Milan’s Scudetto win during which they spoke to Tonali, and he began by reflecting upon his first goal for the club which came via a stunning free-kick in the second game of the season against Cagliari at San Siro.

“There was a bit of indecision about who should shoot between Theo and me. In the end he told me to shoot, from there I concentrated and shot. I still have that goal in my head, I will always remember it,” he said (via MilanNews).

He initially needed time to get used to playing in a double pivot having been the deepest of a three-man midfield at Brescia, but few expected the explosion that came in 2021-22 as he became a leader of the midfield department.

There is no doubt that having some physical problems in the summer of 2020 – thus resulting in a delayed start to his preseason – certainly hindered his adaptation, but being able to get right up to speed last year gave him a positive outlook to begin with.

“During last summer I changed something and I really started from scratch. I’m not someone who talks a lot, but everything changes on the pitch and you bring out everything you can’t get out, perhaps in the locker room,” he added.