Danke Ndoye: How Dan Ndoye Balled Out for Thiago Motta’s Bologna
The emergence of the young Dan Ndoye all started out when he was lurking in the backstreets of Lausanne where his youth career kicked off and rapidly getting through the ranks during his time there where he made just under 40 appearances and amassed 23 goals. A season later, he got called up for his debut with the first team which kickstarted his professional career and succeeded scoring 6 goals in 15 appearances.
Scouts were high on their heels after hearing the impressive rise to the top of the ranks in Switzerland with Ligue 1 side OGC Nice pulling the trigger to sign Ndoye, however remained with Lausanne on a loan. The summer of next season came round and Swiss giants FC Basel came calling and signed the promising prospect on a one-year loan deal and exercised a permanent transfer for the Swiss international following his star-studded performances.
The transfer window was open whilst the Swiss Pro League was in full force and Dan Ndoye flamed the stats with 4 goal contributions in 4 appearances and this caught the attention of I Rossoblu who lured Dan Ndoye to sign with Motta’s men to be an essential piece to the puzzle. After experiencing his first call-up for the Switzerland National Team the season prior, young Ndoye was ready to perform on one of the highest stages in European football.
Thiago Motta and Dan Ndoye seemed to be a match made in heaven with Ndoye already showing promising signs of his determination and driven attitude and needed the extra oil from Motta’s machine to push him further. Many were surprised by Motta’s tactical expertise, taking a whole new approach to how games would be played.
Motta adopted a different formation dependent on the opponent and managed to confuse teams with his intricate style of play which evolved every position on the pitch from the defence to the attacks. The board at Bologna felt that they had the perfect blueprint to successfully reach the heights of Italian football with I Feltri with the right man at the helm.
Ndoye made his full debut at home in a tough match against Stefano Pioli’s Rossoneri side, in a game which saw Bologna facing a 2-0 defeat. Motta stuck to his guts with his trio in attack amidst the plethora of talent in the attacking positions, all to which the likes of Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Orsolini excelled on another level.
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After the international break, one where Ndoye had been called up to the two fixtures against Andorra and Kosovo, it was back to the drawing board in the domestic campaign. The Swiss international managed to play a pivotal part to the style of play with Bologna extending their unbeaten run to 6 games including a 3-0 win against Empoli and a vital point against Inter.
Ndoye managed to find his stride in Serie A, despite getting on the scoresheet or contributing with an assist however the Brazilian-born coach knew the value and importance he possessed in the trident of the attack. The Lausanne-born forward’s qualities reached far and wide, with his dynamic vision of play and ability to break down compact defences, making funneling runs in behind and a vision unmatched like any other forward in the top flight. All qualities to which Motta had the keys to unlock and unleash on Serie A’s best defensive set-ups.
Whilst Bologna were shocking football fans across Italy with their push for European football, Ndoye and his counterparts never seemed to back down or concede to the pressures of the outside world. Bologna faced a Coppa Italia matchup against a difficult Inter side, who managed to excel under Simone Inzaghi. A game which saw no goals scored in the regular 90 minutes and extra time had to be the playing card to see who would come out on top.
The 116th minute came round and Dutchman Zirkzee played a profound through-ball to which the pace and prominence of Ndoye managed to get on the end of it and score his first goal in the colours of red and blue and win the tie against Inzaghi’s Inter. A win to galvanise Motta and Bologna heading into the second half of the season where I Feltri’s wildest dreams were turning to reality.
The Swiss international prominently proved from there in that he was a key part to the puzzle with his attacking prowess and unpredictability which shakes defenders. 11th May proved to be a pivotal part of Bologna and Ndoye’s season with a win securing I Rossoblu qualification into the Champions League. A date away from home with a callous Napoli led by Francesco Calzona was circled in the calendar as the day Ndoye and company could make history.
The hosts were hit with a one-two punch with the Maradona unsurprisingly shocked by their team’s performance and who else but Dan Ndoye managed to break the deadlock with his first goal in the Serie A season, 3 minutes later defender Stefan Posch closed the game out in what looked like mission impossible for Napoli.
Motta’s men clinched their berth in Europe in what had capped off to be a stellar season and Bologna had bred newborn talents from defence to attack from the likes of Riccardo Calafiori to Dan Ndoye. The Lausanne-born forward made sure to remember his homegrown roots and blossom in a Bologna side which seem to be heading in one direction and to the aid of the Swiss international, I Feltri can look forward to creating many more memories down the road.
Il calcio offre la bellezza di imprevedibilità.
By: Lorenzo Gagliotta / @LG24Sports
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Richard Pelham / Getty Images