Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali has admitted he is a big fan of Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso. He particularly appreciates his in-your-face style.
Tuttosport have an interview with the 25-year-old this week. He discusses various topics, including a recent dinner with his international boss.
While Tonali is one of the star men at St James Park with Newcastle, he is also key to Italy’s hopes to making the World Cup this summer.
The chance of heading to the tournament now rests on navigating the UEFA play-offs later this month. They finished second behind Norway in their qualifying group.
Italy hopes for the World Cup
Italy face a play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland on the 26th in Bergamo. That’s before a potential clash against Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31st.
The Italians haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 2014. Despite being four-time champions, their recent history with the tournament has been marked by significant struggles.
Failure to qualify this year would be their third straight failure to do so. 2018 was the first time they hadn’t appeared at the tournament in 60 years.
Gattuso was appointed in June 2025 on a one-year deal. He’s faced criticism since, despite winning six of eight group games. He has publicly stated that the will go and live far from Italy if he fails to lead the team to the World Cup this summer.
Tonali admiration
He has been frank about the gravity of the situation, and that is something the Newcastle star appreciates in particular.
“We had a dinner in London, we had a great time because we hadn’t seen each other since November,” he said.
“It’s always nice to get together for a moment outside of football. We had fun, we talked about so many things. It was a different moment than usual.
“I think he was the person who was able to instil a lot in me, even when I didn’t know him. When he played, for example, I took from him what I liked. Getting to know him allowed me to connect with a genuine person. If he needs to tell you something, he takes half a second.
“And that’s very good for us: we need people who tell us things to our faces and who can hit us in the face when things aren’t going well.
“We met a coach who has given us so much, who is giving us so much, and who will give us so much. Not only that, but he will also give his all, along with his staff, to achieve that goal.”
