Alas, it wasn’t quite to be for brilliant Brentford at The Gtech on Saturday.
Having held title winners Manchester City on Tuesday night, they were injury time minutes away from doing the same with champions elect Liverpool. Sadly, this time around rather than The Bees it was Darwin Núñez with the two late goals. The scoreline moving away from a hard fought, end-to-end 0-0 draw and instead handing a 0-2 to the visitors.
No complaints. No regrets. Brentford gave their all. Had their chances. Damsgaard with the very best of them just a few minutes in. Starting the move with the most exquisite 360 touch and go, exchanging the ball with Yarmoliuk whose pass out to Bryan on the right mirrored those seen so many times from the Dane.
Roerslev arriving with all the momentum of a runaway freight train picked it up on the overlap and played an inch perfect ball across the face of goal. The defence bisected. Damsgaard lurking, unmarked. The ball past Alisson and the merest of touches needed to guide it in to the now unguarded net. It should have been 1-0 Brentford. Instead it was Gazza at Euro 96 (Germany rather than Scotland).
That’s football. No criticism of Damsgaard whatsoever. He’s been immense this season and had another wonderful game. Instead, it was a moment which would ultimately transpire to be the consummate lesson in taking your chances when they come.
Whilst Manchester City were lacklustre and disorganised, Liverpool were deadly. Dominant. Unceasing. Like some sort of footballing Terminator. Never giving up and pushing with wave after wave of pulsating attack. An apparent 37 shots by the end of the game – albeit, watching live it hadn’t felt that many.
Brentford, on the other hand, slight less effective. Chances and opportunities created – perhaps not with as much abandon as the visitors – but there nonetheless.
Yet such was the lack of time on the ball and the constant pressure from the Liverpool defence that it felt more like a meeting of the Nick Proschwitz fan club when opportunity did present itself. Balls hit wide of the goal or straight at Alisson in nets. Shots lacking their usual conviction or power. This, as much due to the constant presence of a man in black on the shoulder.
Again, no complaints. Liverpool were brutally strong. A yard faster than the Bees at times and, perhaps, had our own decision making on the break been better then things may have turned out differently. They didn’t although it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort.
The Bees defended resolutely. Magnificently. So strong and disciplined. So confident at the back with the passing out between Mark Flekken and his defence probably giving the rest of the stadium kittens. Almost Nottingham Forest like on the back foot but then breaking from nowhere at speed. The midfield, who we will get to shortly, giving one of the most impressive displays I have seen from a Brentford side in a long while.
Let’s not forget who we were up against. A team that Thomas Frank would afterwards describe as the best in world football at present. He isn’t wrong. Brentford matched them for 90 minutes. Sadly, not 94.
Who stood out for Brentford though? That is, aside from the four pigeons operating at right back and pushing an ever higher line all game until one mysteriously disappeared late on.
As always, we decide that with our top five player ratings. Five points being awarded for star player, four for second place, three for third etc with the totals added up game-by-game to find an overall winner for the season.
2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 22 (vs Liverpool)
1st (Star player: 5 points) – Yehor Yarmoliuk
Wow. Just wow.
If ever the powers that be needed to give a demonstration of the transfer model and the B-team set up then here it is. Yehor is getting better and better with each passing game. On Saturday he absolutely smashed it.
It’s hard to remember that he is only 20 years old still. Such was the maturity and confidence with which he played. The lack of any deference shown to the world class array of talent coming up to face him was a joy to behold.
He never stopped running. Never stopped tracking back. Chasing down the black-shirted marauders with unabating tenacity.
He can move with the ball, too. Some of those cross field passes and spins were so good it looked as though we’ve finally found the machine to clone Damsgaard. Albeit with more than a soupçon of Norgaard added in for good measure.
Yee-Haw, Yehor. Quite wonderful.
2nd (4 points) – Christian Norgaard
Star man last time out. Pipped at the post this time around.
It was close, mind you. With his contract due to expire at the end of the current season, the captain gave a ‘name your price’ display in the middle. One can only hope that the ongoing negotiations will prove successful.
Thomas Frank has said that “Christian is happy here and we’re happy with him, so let’s see”. Certainly, there were no signs of him being distracted or looking anywhere but for his teammates.
Might have scored early on with a header that, whilst not as clear cut as that Damsgaard opportunity for a moment had us revisting Manchester City once more (apologies Mikkel in the let’s be honest, unlikely, event that you are reading).
It wasn’t to be but that’s not really what he’s here for. The ever present defensive midfield duties, matched with moments of the most audacious skill were once again at the fore. ‘That’ late first half turn and shimmy which nullified half the opposition in one fell swoop just sublime.
Vintage Norgaard.
3rd (3 points) – Keane Lewis-Potter
That Rico Henry didn’t even get a look in from the bench speaks volumes about how well KLP played. Of course, we know that he’s still on the gentle road back from that awful injury but I really thought we might see a little bit of Rico on the left.
Not this time. KLP never stopped haring up and down the flank. Looking to curl one in or over from that point on the corner of the penalty box. Tracking back and locking Liverpool out when it was their turn to break. Playing it out with the most serene of passing movements. Winning it back when, occasionally, things went awry.
If the skipper’s contract situation remains fluid, let’s be very happy that KLP has just committed to 2031.
4th (2 points) – Sepp van den Berg
New signings can take time to settle in. Just look at Mikkel Damsgaard who will likely be the first to admit it took a couple of seasons before he suddenly hit ‘God mode’.
Thankfully for Brentford, Sepp has stepped in and stepped up to fill the gaps left by the injuries to Ethan Pinnock and Kris Ajer since signing from Liverpool over the summer. His partnership with Nathan Collins looking better and better with each game whilst allowing Thomas to persist with two at the back, despite the availability of Ben Mee.
Indeed, such was the way they were playing that the head coach resisted the option to make additional changes to support the backline as the afternoon progressed (interestingly, he only made two of his available changes all game).
Like KLP, his presence of mind in defence and smoothness of passing out was at odds with the tension around the stadium whenever such a moment arose. Something which, if we are being honest, was rather a lot.
His marshalling of Gakpo’s seemingly goal bound shot past the back post, rather than responding to just about everybody else’s exhortations to “Just flippin’ hoof it” (or words of that ilk) showing just how comfortable he felt.
5th (1 point) – Nathan Collins
Danger Will Robinson. Danger. Seven in to one just won’t go and somebody is going to miss out, perhaps unfairly.
This last place is brutal today. I think Mikkel Damsgaard in particular is very hard done by in missing out. Likewise Mads Roerslev and the ever solid Mark Flekken.
However, this time around I have to give it to Nathan Collins. Quite simply, we can’t have Sepp without his partner. He was everywhere at the back. That it took Liverpool until shots 36 and 37 (out of the aforementioned 37) tells you everything you need to know.
They were quite brilliant together. To the list of famous duos that includes Derek and Clive, Dec and Ant, Little and Large (kids, ask a grandparent) you can now add Nathan and Sepp.
Plus I feel guilty about not picking him in the Manchester City run down.
2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Overall (after Matchweek 22)
All of which means that, in a quite unlikely turn of events, none of the top three picked up any points, meaning KLP and Christian make some ground on the leaders.
Next up is Brentford’s trip to the Palace. Can anybody catch Mikkel ?
1st – Mikkel Damsgaard (65 points)
2nd – Bryan Mbeumo (46 points)
3rd – Mark Flekken (41 points)
4th – Keane Lewis-Potter (37 points)
5th – Christian Norgaard (36 points)
