Here we go again – the Brentford 2022-23 campaign is upon us.
Brentford are about to enjoy a second bite at football’s Premier League. An attempt to see if we can match last time out where the expectations of everybody outside TW8 prior to our maiden campaign at this level were cast aside with the contempt they deserved.
Rather than making an instant return to the Championship, The Bees became the first side to top the nascent table following that opening night defeat of Arsenal under the lights. Oh, Sergi Canos – his opening goal one that still sends a shiver up the spine.
From there, the scene was set. Brentford hoovering up the points and the top, top performances. West Ham and Wolves away. The incredible 3-3 at home to Liverpool amongst those to make the pundits sit up and take notice. At least, until injury hit. Until Covid bit. Until fixtures began to be juggled. That’s life at this level, of course, and a mid-season blip was one dominated by the injury to Goalkeeper David Raya.
‘Experts’ point to the arrival of Christian Eriksen in January as the factor which got Brentford back on track but anyone who had been watching us with any level of regularity will know it was the struggle in adapting to our goalkeeping situation that was the primary challenge.
Then, Raya returned.
Eriksen finally reached match fitness to more than hit his groove. Injuries cleared up. The Bees were back.
An eventual finish of 13th as impressive as the meltdown from the Burnley commentary team or the last few moments at Watford. In the end, it finished with Thomas Frank’s side five points off a top ten placing that may well have been ours with a tad more luck.
Everybody played their part. A squad of Championship players, boosted by Kris Ajer and the aforementioned Dane, ripping it up. A game-by-game breakdown of the individuals to find a ‘Star Man’ for each match aswell as a season-long winner eventually seeing Rico Henry top the tree.
It was a simple method. Those players deemed to have been our top five performers per game were awarded points, with five going to the star man, four for second place down to one for fifth. Whomever scored the most points after game 38 was then crowned overall star man for the season.
Christian Norgaard in joint third can, perhaps, feel particularly hard done by given his triumph in the club’s official ‘Player of the Year’ awards. Indeed, he even secured yours truly’s vote for the supporters’ prize, such was the consistency which saw him appear in the ‘top five’ on these pages than any other player.
However, given the overall form of our left back, few could deny Rico was worthy of the win.
More importantly, if he can hit the ground running might he even be a contender for England selection given the World Cup in Qatar this winter? Could Ivan Toney be joining him if he continues to slam in the goals and stroke home the penalty kicks?
Those, of course, decisions for Gareth Southgate to make.
For us, the quest to find the star man of the Brentford 2022-23 season is one which begins this weekend with the return of the post-match reviews and top-five player ratings.
Brentford 2022-23 Squad – the comings and goings
An arguably stronger Brentford squad start proceedings at Leicester City on Sunday afternoon.
Aaron Hickey and Ben Mee are already adding steel to a defence missing both Ajer and Ethan Pinnock through injury.
Of course Manchester United bound Eriksen was a one-of-a kind luxury but there is still some very exciting transfer news swirling whilst the acquisition of Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull City has already seen Brentford pick up one of the Championship’s most highly rated players.
Not to mention our goalkeeping options being enhanced significantly with Thomas Strakosha swapping Lazio for Lionel Road.
With many again tipping the 2022-23 Brentford team for a bottom three finish, I’m looking the other way. One better than last season with a top twelve finish being the call.
A run of good luck and might the top ten be feasible? Why not?
Roll on Sunday when it all starts for us once more. In the meantime, here’s a brief reminder of how out top five ended it last time out…
Player Ratings – how the top 5 from the 2021/22 season looked
5th place – Vitaly Janelt (38 points)
12 x Gameweek Top 5 appearances, including 3 x Star Man performances.
We all knew Vitaly was good at Championship level but he made the transition to Premier League look as easy as stealing candy from a baby. Liverpool home and, of course, Chelsea away where the two goals were taken with ice cool nerve and precision execution amongst the many highlights of a campaign where he stepped into the global limelight with aplomb
4th place – Bryan Mbeumo (46 points)
16 x Gameweek Top 5 appearances, including 3 x Star Man performances.
Bryan had hit the ground running when he joined the Bees but, it would be fair to say, he appeared to be struggling upon his return from that first bought of Covid way back in Lockdown One. Thankfully, his maiden season in the top flight saw him doing what we know and love him for. Terrifying defences. Shooting on sight. Scoring goals. Cripes, even his hitting the woodwork so often became a bit of a cult reference. Pre-season has seen him picking up the baton where he left it last time out…
3rd place – Christian Norgaard (47 points)
19 x Gameweek Top 5 appearances, including 1 x Star Man performance.
Brentford’s Mr. Consistent, hitting our top five in over half the season’s total league games. He did, of course, benefit from playing alongside his international team-mates Jensen and Eriksen but make no mistake about his own individual ability and performance. An absolute rock in that defensive midfield position yet a player with the ability to drive forward, to shoot and to even score from time to time. Only Mendy’s finger tips denying him a last gasp bicycle kick equaliser at home to Chelsea which would have taken the roof off Lionel Road in a manner akin to which it did when he scored the game sealing second against Arsenal. You know, when Brentford went top of the Premier League
2nd place – Ivan Toney (53 points)
15 x Gameweek Top 5 appearances, including 6 x Star Man performances.
Goals win games and until a late flurry from Leicester City, Harry Kane was the only English player to have scored more than Ivan in the Premier League. In the end, to score 12 in a first season at the level was a quite wonderful achievement. As much given the change in his game where you would find Ivan doing as much work at the back or building play as you would see him in the opposition box.
1st place – Rico Henry (59 points)
18 x Gameweek Top 5 appearances, including 4 x Star Man performances.
Ivan may have the headline grabbing leads but with a ‘top five’ appearance rating just one behind Christian Norgaard, Rico Henry was very much our overall star man last season. The perfectly timed tackling of a laser sighted full back or as a winger with blistering pace and deadly delivery, he really is two players for the price of one. Take your pick of his stand out moments but, for me, it was his overall emergence as a player that terrified the vast majority of the Premier League.
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Brentford 2022-23 Season Preview by Nick Bruzon
