2025-26 Brentford Player Ratings – Matchweek 5

Indeed, but for a foul on Nathan Collins by Rodrigo Muniz in the build-up to what was a blistering strike by the player past the diving Kelleher at his near post, it would have been 4-1.

Instead, the ‘goal’ was ruled off, the floodgates failed to open, and Bees’ fans at least retained bragging rights over ‘that’ scoreline. In truth, though, this was about as far away from the free-flowing football of Dallas, Jota, and Judge as it is possible to imagine.

Instead, Keith Andrews handed the initiative to the hosts by naming three centre-backs. Strangling any prospect of width or attacking and instead inviting them to come at Brentford from the off.

Given they’d taken almost an hour to register a shot in their previous game and had needed an injury-time own-goal to eventually win that 1-0, it seemed a bizarre setup.

It was a challenge made even harder by the ‘front’ two not even being able to get into the game. Thiago having the first touch of a JCB and Schade going awol whilst the leaving of Ouattara on the bench meant Brentford had been denied the head coach’s primary tactic of playing it long over the top to his pace man.

Yet, somehow, despite spending the opening period on the back foot and looking as though they’d have struggled to break through the skin of a cold rice pudding, let alone a Premier League defence, Bees took the lead on 20 minutes. 18-year-old Josh King, their new 16-year-old Ryan Sessegnon (albeit the 25-year-old no longer legally allowed to be identified by his age) having an absolute horror moment.

His option to pass across the outside of the box rather than play it forward is being seized upon by Mikkel Damsgaard. The Dane running on to the ball, working the gap and firing home through two defenders to give the boys in brown a 1-0 lead. It was against the run of play, but, frankly, who cares? We’ve always said that ‘deserving’ counts for naff all, and here was yet another example – little of the ball but in the lead. Magnificent.

Yet then, nothing. No building on this. No threat. Schade with a half-chance after more defensive generosity, but over elaborating. Every corner kick won by Brentford is being handed straight back to the opposition by a series of adjudged fouls – if only we had a set-piece coach in the set-up to help with this. Instead, the 1-0 lead transformed into a 2-1 deficit within the space of just 90 seconds.

First, Alex Iwobi is taking advantage of defensive naivety in the Brentford box. A ball was hoisted in left to the defence as Kelleher stayed on his line. Collins, amongst those swinging a lethargic leg as pinball ensued in an overcrowded space.

The ball eventually broke to the Fulham man, who made no mistake, firing through the skipper’s legs and past the diving Kelleher.

1-1, and it got worse almost immediately after. Iwobi plays a diagonal ball across the line of retreating defenders, and Harry Wilson fires straight back, hard and low, past the diving Kelleher.

No words. Not polite ones, anyway. A goal up seven minutes before the break, yet suddenly 2-1 down with 40 minutes on the clock. The Bees with nothing to offer in return, and the half-time cuppas suddenly with a very bitter after-taste.

Still, there was time to change. Time to rejig the troops. Perhaps even change the system or the approach. Instead, we got the Warburton style ‘Plan B is to do Plan A better’ approach.

The problem being that Plan A – attacking tactics that seem entirely dependent on long throws rather than playing the ball with the foot – seemed to have been written on the back of a postage stamp.

If Brentford were going for ‘more of the same’, then so were the hosts. Five minutes into the restart, they’d done it again. Collins failed spectacularly to head clear, and instead, the ball reached Pinnock, who somehow turned it in off his shoulder.

I’m still not sure how it happened, but 3-1 is 3-1; however, it reached the back of the net. The Bees are shooting themselves in the foot.

The only positive, if there was one, was that at least now we would see changes. Nothing to lose, but give fresh legs time to go for it. No chance. No change.

No difference. Ten more minutes gone, and it was 4-1. Thankfully, VAR coming to The Bees’ rescue after Muniz was correctly adjudged to have fouled Collins on his way to goal.

Sixty-five minutes in and the first change. Thiago was replaced by Ouattara. The lack of genuine options up top – at least playing this system – is glaringly obvious. It made no difference. Like-for-like subs in Henry/KLP, Pinnock/Ajer, and Janelt/Henderson followed.

Carvalho was given his obligatory five minutes at the death, although one had to wonder why bother bringing him on so late with so much to do, having seen so little achieved in the previous seventy minutes.

3-1 it finished to the home side. Keith Andrews, having given it large about local derbies and passion in the build-up, seeing his plans for this crumbling. Asked afterwards, “Do you see a pattern in the sort of goals you are conceding?

Ten in five games? Eight in the three away from home”? his answer was an initial ‘No’, before then blaming individual errors. That’s why he’s the head-coach and we’re the fans on the terrace, I suppose.

A thoroughly disappointing night and one which seems no better having slept on things. With visits from the two Manchester clubs next – United then City – as well as games with Liverpool and Newcastle United coming in the next six fixtures, things aren’t going to get any easier for the 17th-placed Bees.

The league is a marathon, not a sprint. Seasons are not defined before we reach ten games (Marinus Dijkhuizen aside), but, equally, trends are set. We’re already seeing a tough lesson being taught. How Keith and his squad learn or adapt from this will be key.

Until then, it’s time for our game-by-game search for the top five players of the season. As always, five points being awarded for the star player, four for second place, three for third, etc, with the totals added up game-by-game to see who ends up the eventual winner after game 38.

1st (5 points) Mikkel Damsgaard On a night of extreme frustration for the fans and, I am sure, the players, Mikkel was the one highlight.

Took his goal superbly. Lightning-fast reactions to cover the gap, read the situation, and break onto the ball. That was only half the job, though – he still needed to finish, and this was anything but a tap-in to an empty net. He made it look oh, so simple.

It should have been the foundation on which the house was built. Instead, despite the goal and his other efforts – he also put in the highest number of tackles from the Brentford team as well as 13 of our 21 crosses – it felt as though Mikkel was very much ploughing a lone furrow.

2nd (4 points) Rico Henry. He’ll start against United. He should do, anyway.

At least he showed some genuine intent and desire when he came on. Did his best to open things up now that the haemorrhaging of goals had stopped and the Bees decided to try and drive forward.

3rd (3 points) Michael Kayode. If Rico was a breath of much-needed fresh air into a stale set of tactics, at least Michael did the best with what he could. Perhaps, more importantly, doing so consistently for the entire game

Last campaign saw Mikkel Damsgaard set the early running in our Player Of The Season poll, and, so far, this time around, it is Michael. He’s been in the top five for every league game.

4th (2 points) Yehor Yarmoliuk He tried. Looked comfortable with the ball at his feet. Like Mikkel, though, one man cannot do it all on his own, and so often his efforts turned to nothing through lack of support. ‘Somebody help him…’

5th (2 points) Dango Ouattara looked threatening when he came on. No major substance to the end product, but at least tried to get the ball into the box (with his feet rather than throw-ins)

All of which means that after Round 5 of fixtures, the current top five is

1st Michael Kayode – 14 points
2nd Mikkel Damsgaard – 11 points
3rd Jordan Henderson – 8 points
3rd Rico Henry – 8 points
3rd Yehor Yarmoliuk – 8 points
3rd Kevin Schade – 8 points