The short trip across West London is probably the last thing Brentford would have wanted in the quest for a first away win of the season.
Nobody said the Premier League was easy but a run on the road that began with the trips to Liverpool, Manchester City, Spurs and Manchester United shows no signs of getting any simpler. The Bees head to Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening for a 19:00 kick-off against revitalised Chelsea.
Chelsea’s sum of expensive but seemingly disparate parts coming together under the stewardship of Enzo Maresca. His Blues are sitting in the spot normally occupied by Liverpool – second in the table – with the Anfield club currently top of the pile. When the Reds have their seasonal wobble Maresca will surely be waiting to pounce. Until then, it’ll surely be more of the same.
They’ve been relentless in recent months. Devastatingly good. Last week’s brutal 4-3 take down of Spurs a chilling demonstration, would that one were needed, of just how hard they fight. Not to mention that perennial favourite – Spurs at their most Spursy.
2-0 down in little more than ten minutes, the game ended 4-3 to Chelsea with Son’s 96th-minute consolation making it seem closer than it actually was. Prior to that Southampton had been blitzed 5-1 and Aston Villa swept aside 3-0. One has to go back to mid-October for the last time they lost in the league – and that was against the current leaders.
Nicolas Jackson is actually scoring goals, while in Cole Palmer, they have a player who Manchester City can only be wondering why they let go every time he steps onto the pitch. The 22-year-old is getting better and better (if that were possible, such is the high bar he has already set) with each passing game. Scoring for fun and devastating with the ball at his feet, shutting him down will be key to any chance of success for Brentford.
With Thursday afternoon’s Conference league game against Astana in Kazakhstan featuring a much changed, and youthful, Chelsea line up Thomas Frank won’t even be able to factor tiredness into his plans. On the plus side, Pedro Neto will be missing for the hosts after reaching the yellow card threshold at Tottenham.
For Brentford, the solution is obvious even if the execution may be that bit trickier. Try to replicate home form on the road. Seven wins and a draw at the Gtech have seen Brentford with a better record than anybody else in the country, if not most of Europe. Last weekend’s destruction of Newcastle United seeing the Bees at their best. This despite the absences of Mathias Jensen, Vitaly Janelt (both injured) and man-of-the moment Mikkel Damsgaard from the starting XI.
Thomas Frank will be hoping all three are available for this one in a game that will surely see Brentford going for broke. Sitting back and sucking it up isn’t going to work, that’s for sure. We’ve seen Brentford being cagey on the road and it’s never good. Approaching Chelsea head-on would, at face value, seem the way to go.
Besides, if there’s one team The Bees love upsetting and one fixture we love winning then it’s this one. The annual game at Chelsea has seen ‘that 4-1’ win followed by back-to-back 2-0’s for Brentford. Nine points and three West London derby wins isn’t a bad haul from our first three trips to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League
With Brentford recording just a solitary point on the road this campaign – in the 0-0 at Everton – everything is screaming that this can only end up going in one direction. Yet we all know Thomas Frank doesn’t read the rule book. Doesn’t conform to expectation. Loves to spring a surprise. If nothing else, let’s not forget that Brentford are second highest scorers in the Premier League. Only Chelsea have more.
This one will be played in the West London micro-climate outside the global picture of the Premier League. A game as much about local bragging rights as anything else. About the home side making a fourth attempt at trying to stop the Bees from walking out with all the points.
In short, this one’s going to be an absolute cracker. I can’t wait.
Bring it on!
