Howe had to manage three games in just six days last week and has to find the right balance between the likes of Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes plus many more. The Englishman also received pockets of boos for bringing the Italian star off against Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Newcastle boss spoke recently on how he is trying to keep the squad happy and fit which can cause talented players like Tonali to miss out on certain games.
"You are trying to manage everyone's game load really. All those midfielders would have ended up playing in two of the three games we've had so Sandro missed out from the start but was important from the bench."
However, after a fantastic win against the Gunners, Howe’s decision to bench Tonali for Willock looks to have paid off.
"I thought it did again today. I was really pleased. Joe Willock had something different, Sean had something different, Bruno had something different, Sandro does.
"They're all unique players, and then you're missing out Joelinton, who's played wide and done an an incredible amount of effort and work for the team in a different areas of the pitch, so it's good to have those decisions. I'm sure there'll be a lot more debate as we move forward in the future."