Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi has not held back in his praise for Sandro Tonali following the midfielder’s impressive display against Crystal Palace.Despite playing against 10 men for the majority of their clash with Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur never allowed their out-of-possession intensity to drop.The Lilywhites were relentless after Palace went a man down, pressing Pierre Sage’s men aggressively, covering vast amounts of ground and consistently winning the battle for second balls.This was clearly reflected in the physical performance of Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who covered 113.6km, recorded 18.8km of running, completed 2.0km of sprinting and made 88 sprints.Compared to their opponents, those numbers were not even close, with Tottenham proving the superior side across those metrics.Physical performanceTottenhamCrystal PalaceDistance covered113.6 km104.8 kmRunning18.8 km16.8 kmSprinting2.0 km1.4 kmNumber of sprints8853Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty ImagesRoberto De Zerbi hails Tottenham intensity and Sandro Tonali displayThis will surely leave Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi proud, given his demand for high-intensity football, and he has now praised his team for their efforts.Speaking to football.london, De Zerbi did not hold back in his praise, saying that his side’s physical condition is improving before singling out Sandro Tonali for special recognition, describing the midfielder as two players on the pitch.He said: “I’m very happy for the performance, because we showed to be a mature team, with clear ideas. We didn’t concede a counter-attack, maybe just one in the second half. We created many, many chances.“If we want to follow perfection, we have to be more nasty, no? That is an individual thing, because if I’m number nine, number 10, I want to score. But I can’t say nothing.“We are improving the physical condition. Tonali today was unbelievable, incredible. We played with two players more. Tonali was the double today. But we are improving with Archie Gray, with Robertson, the two central backs very well, to take the command of the game.“Mateus Fernandes, another very good performance. Marmoush, Solanke, very well, especially when we lost the ball. So it’s a clear signal that they were inside of the game. Kudus, Mathys Tel, very well. So I think they are improving and the team are improving. The team is improving.”S. TonaliTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances9Minutes Played789Average Rating7.26Goals0Passes561Pass Accuracy (%)90.00Tackles22Interceptions9Duels Won39Yellow Cards0Red Cards0Stats correct as of 1 November 2026.Tonali’s numbers back up De Zerbi’s praiseDe Zerbi’s assessment of Tonali is not wrong, as the midfielder’s underlying numbers highlight just how influential he was for Tottenham both in and out of possession.Without the ball, the Italian was superb and put in the hard yards. According to FotMob, no player covered more distance than Tonali, who registered 12.2km.No Spurs player made more sprints than the Italian, while Tyrick Mitchell was the only player on the pitch to record more sprints.He also maintained his quality throughout the game, contributing in both attack and defence as Tottenham secured a third consecutive victory.It is no surprise he was handed an 8.0 rating despite not registering a goal contribution, and his underlying numbers explain why.StatTotalTop speed33.3 km/hDistance covered12.2 kmAccurate passes69/74 (93%)Defensive contributions10Touches92Touches in opposition box5Passes into final third8Line-breaking passes9Accurate long balls2/2 (100%)Tackles3Ground duels won3/4 (75%)Running2.8 km (23%)Sprinting305m (3%)Number of sprints11READ MORE: Five things we learned as Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the Premier LeagueThe post Tottenham played with 12 men against Crystal Palace thanks to one star, says De Zerbi appeared first on Spurs Web.