Vincenzo Italiano clings to the point and the ‘extraordinary spirit’ shown by 10-man Bologna in their 1-1 draw with Atalanta, explaining where Dan Ndoye needs to improve.
The Rossoblu had taken the lead at the Stadio Dall’Ara with Santiago Castro on target for the third Serie A game on the bounce, but it went wrong a few minutes later when Jhon Lucumi saw red for bringing down Charles De Ketelaere on the edge of the area.
They survived under siege for 40 minutes, also thanking the frame of the goal, until Lazar Samardzic’s curler found the far top corner.
Ultimately, it is a result neither side is happy with, as Bologna were so close to victory and Atalanta kept pushing for the winner until the final kick of the game.
“We take home the extraordinary spirit of the lads. When going down to 10 men against Atalanta, it’s really difficult, because they don’t just pump crosses into the box seeking strikers, they continue to pass it around, move you out of position and try to get a stranglehold on the game,” Italiano told Sky Sport Italia.
“We have to think of the result and take that home. The first half was excellent, it was very open with both teams attacking, then we had to rely on the spirit of sacrifice from the squad down to 10.
“Castro is really improving, I thought he had cramp, but it was a knock to the calf muscle and so we decided to substitute him. It’s at least good that we held out to the final whistle with a point.”
Bologna still adapting to Italiano
Italiano always wanted his wingers to contribute goals at Fiorentina and is now falling into the same trap at Bologna with Riccardo Orsolini and Dan Ndoye struggling to find the net.
“Ndoye works in training every day to improve his finishing, so if he can do that, he will become a top player. He has pace, dribbling skills, spirit of sacrifice, now he needs to get that feel for the goal. We are trying to drill that timidity out of him, because he works so hard for the team and I am convinced he’ll sort out this problem in his game.”
Bologna are back in action on Wednesday with a huge Champions League trip to Anfield Road, where they take on the mighty Liverpool.
They opened their European campaign with a 0-0 home draw against Shakhtar Donetsk, while today Liverpool earned a 2-1 win away to Wolves in the Premier League.
“This team has to take it one game at a time, there was Atalanta today who are another Champions League team and last season won the Europa League. From tomorrow we’ll see who is in good shape, who can recover and prepare for yet another battle,” assured Italiano.
“We know there are mistakes we made today that we cannot afford to make again, as Liverpool’s strikers are so efficient and we’ll be in a remarkable atmosphere of Anfield.”
Italiano was whispering with Gian Piero Gasperini after the final whistle, so what did he say to the Atalanta coach?
“He was talking about the stoppages, he said there weren’t many, I replied that it felt like too many! We have a great rapport, as what he built with Atalanta is really an example for everyone in football. They have great players, further raised the bar this season and will be competitive in every tournament.”