The curious case of Joel Ndala at Sheffield Wednesday isn't so curious
It feels more than a little odd to suggest a debut performance in a dire 4-0 away defeat came in a burst of stars and glitter. But such are the oddities of Sheffield Wednesday’s current campaign, sparkle there certainly was.
Joel Ndala’s effort at Swansea City was alien to anything Wednesday had seen for many months; daring, tricky and able to open things up. The Owls’ experimental switch to a back four system sought to open things up going forward but ultimately left oceans of space behind them. They were soundly beaten in a rare thumping, with a score line of four unanswered goals hiding the scale of the spanking in South Wales. But Ndala caught the eye.
The on-loan Manchester City youngster threatened to offer something his teammates were not suited to; beating the odd player and driving his side up the pitch to win territory or free-kicks. He was dropped to the bench ahead of a second appearance when he rocked up late and next was party to a brain explosion that gave Sheffield United the lead in the Steel City derby.
So in just a few weeks, Ndala has been through a great deal. His response to the moment that was at Bramall Lane has garnered praise and shows a maturity not always associated with loanees of his tender age. But since an hour’s outing at Norwich City last month that left him exhausted, he’s not started a game in four.
It’s fair to say that he hasn’t pulled up the trees that moments in his debut promised, but there’s more to his absence from the starting 11 than mere form. Wednesday seem to have picked up in offensive performance through other means and against teams fiercer in possession, it’s clear he has work to do to break through the current line-up.
“I think the other guys have done it really well and the basic is the culture,” Owls boss Henrik Pedersen told The Star when asked on Ndala’s situation. “These have been tough, tough games that we have played, where we have to do all the basics before we can start to think of other things.
“Here the other guys have been stronger than him. He has been working on this in the background and he knows he has to improve here. I think he had a good defensive performance when he came in today and he was part of one possibility for the cutback. He is working hard to come back.”
Ndala is a teenager and any idea of week-on-week of consistency is not to be expected. Ultimately, it’s for this sort of thing that he is at S6 to learn from. And his time will come again.
The likes of Jamal Lowe and Jarvis Thornton have picked up and the Wednesday set-up has altered. Ndala arrived to Wednesday having cancelled his loan deal with Hull City. A return date comes this weekend - whether or not it acts as a kickstart to his stint remains to be seen.