Tottenham star Sandro Tonali and his Italy teammates did their talking on the pitch after coming under huge criticism from the national media a few days ago.The Italian media did not hold back after the Azzurri began their Nations League campaign with a 2-0 loss at home against Belgium.Tonali was one of the biggest targets of the press, with one outlet even describing the Tottenham star as looking like a ‘fish out of water’.As one of the most experienced players in the squad, Spurs’ record signing took it upon himself to defend his younger teammates in the press conference ahead of their clash against Turkey.Tonali said: “Many were disappointed, but we have to accept the whole post-match experience, from the jeers to our own disappointment. We played poorly and deserved to lose. We’re lucky to be playing after three days, and we have to react immediately. The team is healthy and young; having everything right away is very difficult.“We don’t have a star player who can change the game in ten seconds. We have to work step by step. We have to spend a lot of time together and work to become an even more solid team. We’re all very normal players and men; I think that with time, our qualities will emerge.”Credit: oscar.visualss / InstagramTottenham star Sandro Tonali helps Italy deliver a statement win against TurkeyRoberto Mancini’s men responded in perfect fashion on Monday, as they emerged with a thumping 4-1 win in Turkey to get their first points on the board in the Nations League.Goals from Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, Michael Kayode, and Francesco Pio Esposito saw the Azzurri emerge comfortable winners.The Tottenham man had a key part in Italy’s fourth goal on 50 minutes, with Tonali’s curled effort coming off the post, with Pio Esposito heading in the rebound.Tonali was given a performance rating of 7.3 on FotMob. Here are his individual stats against Turkey:Touches: 67Passes: 49/54 (91%)Chances created: 1Passes into the final third: 7Defensive contributions: 7 (1 tackle and six clearances)Recoveries: 3Tonali is not overly concerned about Spurs’ poor startThe midfielder has also been speaking to the Italian press over recent days about what is happening in his club career following his big-money move from Newcastle to Tottenham in the summer.Interestingly, Tonali insisted that he and his Spurs teammates are too worried about their start, suggesting that the Lilywhites’ performances are trending in the right direction.The 26-year-old said: “Football is a very strange world; in ten days, everything can change from negative to positive. I would classify our current situation as a club as negative in terms of results but positive in terms of football.“We’re having fun and creating chances. If you don’t score in football, you lose. We’re not in the doldrums; we’re alive and well, and we’re positive. We know the team is very strong.”READ MORE: Predicting Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures including Man United, Chelsea and LeedsThe post Tottenham star drops 7.3/10 performance with 91% passing to silence critics appeared first on Spurs Web.