Brentford host Wolves on Saturday afternoon, looking for a win that would perhaps be expected against the strongest team in the Premier League.
Strongest, that is, because the visitors are currently holding up the division’s other nineteen clubs. They’re bottom of the table ( © The bog book of crumby dad jokes).
In all seriousness, it’s fair to say Wolves have had a rotten start. Their worst at this level in 20 years and that campaign saw them finish bottom of the pile, too. This time around five defeats and one draw see even Southampton (purely by less bad goal difference) and Everton (who finally won a game last weekend – not a typo) amongst those sitting above them.
With a solitary point on the board, are they there for the taking? Or as Liverpool boss Arne Slot noted following his team being the latest to inflict a defeat, could it simply be that Wolves’ performances are better than their league position suggests?
Statistically speaking, they’ve had a tough start in terms of fixtures. Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Chelsea those taking all three points from Gary O’Neil’s team. The loss to Cole Palmer particularly brutal as 2-2 at half-time became 6-2 when the final whistle blew and, in part, why Southampton have crawled off the bottom.
A situation not helped by what reads a puzzling team selection / substitution strategy. Players left on the bench whom one might have expected to add some venom, lack of a target man and only one recognised centre-back after subs had been made in that Liverpool game. Santi Bueno, who went off then, reading as a possible doubt for Saturday.
Boo-hoo. Brentford can look to games at Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester City where they have also played well but come away empty handed. The later fixture in particular where it still feels bizarre that The Bees were only 1-0 up after the opening quarter hour as chance followed chance followed chance.
Moreso doing this with an injury hit squad – not quite as bad as last season but fast approaching those levels. The only fitness related light on the horizon could be the return of club captain Christian Norgaard who has been sorely missed in the last two games.
If the skipper is available I’d expect to see him start although who makes way will be an interesting one – as much given Thomas Frank’s propensity to utilise his players in a variety of positions. The visit of West Ham last time out seeing four centre-backs in play when the game began.
That one, the third time in a row Brentford have scored the game’s opening in less than a minute. It has become both a much repeated fact as well as Premier League record.
Not bad for a side with their own challenges in finding cover for those injuries to players up top. Yet The Bees have failed to capitalise on these strong starts and see that 1-1 with The Hammers as their only point earned from that trio of fixtures.
From some respects, points might have been considered a bonus at Manchester City or Spurs whilst the officiating last time out didn’t help matters. Simon Hooper being set to ‘roulette’ mode rather than ‘actual referee’.
The ‘good’ news for observers of such matters is that this time around we have Andy Madley as the man in the middle with Michael Oliver on VAR duty. Yay.
The bottom line here is that Wolves will be the team feeling the pressure. They’ve lost every game (league and cup) since that 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest in late August. No matter how well a side is playing, the ongoing and consistent inability to convert plucky performances in to actual wins is a huge albatross around the neck.
If the Bees make it four in a row on the early goal front, things really could go Pete Wrong for Gary O’Neil.
Let’s hope so. Bring it on and see you there.
