Brentford Player Ratings – Matchday 23

On an afternoon of turgid football, the Bees were unable to turn pressure and possession into anything more than a statistical nicety. Forest taking all three points with two goals from their two shots on target.

Igor Jesus with the first after just 12 minutes. A smart turn and volley past Kelleher on the angle from a position where, in truth, the ball over could have been long since cut out before Ola Aina had played it in. A move that stemmed from down the other end. Damsgaard with a good chance to round Forest ‘keeper Matz Sels, but not quite pulling it off, the moment lost, and then the visitors breaking from their own touchline with a burst of pass and move football up the right flank. It was a good finish, but the Bees will perhaps be disappointed not to have stopped the opportunity at any point in the build-up.

Still, if that one felt defendable then the less said about the second the better. Again, a ball played quickly out of their own box down the right. Again, the Bees at sixes and sevens. Taiwo Awoniyi able to keep going and going. Sepp van den Berg rounded. Michael Kayode flying in to stop the attempt on goal for what felt like an eternity before it happened, yet doing nothing beyond taking out the invisible man.

Instead, it allowed a clear view on the target, and the ball was fired under Kelleher. 2-0 and game over. A mere 11 minutes left on the clock for Brentford to try and try but, ultimately, all energy expended proved futile. The sad fact of the matter being Selz ended the game, making just a single save.

No complaints. Forest were set up to do nothing but counter-attack. Defending deep and packing the midfield. Ten men behind the ball whenever the Bees threatened, meaning everything had to be played with surgical precision. The clock running down as the ball went back, sideways, and forwards again in an attempt to work space that just wasn’t there. 

The visitors falling like the proverbial sack of spuds every time there was a crowd in the box. Heads being clutched with frustrating regularity when players went to ground. Referee Sam Barrott whom, one has to say, had a quite wonderful game, then obliged to stop play for treatment whenever this happened. Selz channelling the spirit of Bryce Samba every time the ball went dead.  

It was a master-class in sleep-inducing anti-football. It worked, too. Again, no complaints. Sean Dyche had a plan. His team stuck to it. The Bees unable to show the flair and quality they’ve done so often this season. Opponents who felt like they’d buckle under pressure were instead able to shut up shop and send Brentford off down blind alleys time and again in the hunt for space.

Schade’s ball across to Thiago just two minutes in about as close as the home side got to scoring all game. In hindsight, the Brazilian may feel he should have at least hit the target. Ouatarra and van den Berg both coming close in that opening period, but beyond that, chances were at an absolute premium.

Then again, it was the sort of afternoon where the Bees were getting none of the breaks. From the initial decision to change ends at the coin toss (somehow, kicking ‘the wrong way’ in the opening period always feels like a dirty trick has been played) through to the simultaneous loss of both Damsgaard and Ajer, little more than a half hour into the game. Separate incidents, with the latter seeming to be in real pain.

Enforced changes disrupting the flow and the loss of Damsgaard, in particular, are a bitter pill to swallow. He had been looking like the one player with the ability to run through the treacle that was the Forest defence. Albeit, perhaps, of more concern was the fact that that he went down seemingly unchallenged.

Had he stayed on, then he may well have made the difference. The longer the game went on, the more it felt as if Forest had done an absolute job on us. Their own desperation to move clear of a West Ham side whose own defeat of Sunderland on Saturday had reduced the gap to just two points, sufficient to galvanise them rather than induce panic.

They set up for the draw but will be ecstatic with the win. It was one of those afternoons where perhaps the most irksome of stats will be the fact that only two managers have taken all three points from The Gtech this season – Pep Guardiola and now, Sean Dyche.

The pair offering about as monumental a contrast in styles as is possible to envisage, but, at the end of the day, Clive, both proving to be equally effective. Gripe as much as we want, but it won’t change the fact that they have achieved something that Unai Emery, Eddie Howe, Arne Slot, Thomas Frank, and a whole host of others have failed to do. Namely, come away from Brentford with a win.

Credit for doing a job on us, no matter how unpalatable the methods may feel. Perhaps the Bees need to employ a few ‘dark arts’ themselves.  

Let’s move on, though. Specifically, to our game-by-game search for Brentford’s top five players of the season. As always, five points being awarded for 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 (five points) Kevin Schade

A tricky one this week. The defence pretty much ruled out given the lack of defending needed. That is, aside from goals against. The Bees ending this one with two-thirds possession, although the lack of subsequent end product meant that it was largely a mid-performance all round.

However, Kevin still looked the man most likely to create something. Wasn’t afraid to run it down the flanks and, not for the first time this season, one wonders what might have happened had he been that bit greedier.

It looked like he’d served it up on a plate to Thiago in that opening burst. Indeed, the subsequent playback on Match Of The Day showed he had done exactly that. Had it been turned in, we may well be telling a different story today.

2nd (four points) Mathias Jensen 

For a moment, it looked like he’d done it.

The one-time Brentford were able to breach the Forest backline, he sent Ouatarra one way as Thiago ran the other. An exquisite pass that saw Dango picking up the ball and clear. Sadly, though, Selz equal to the task as the player bore down on goal.

Like Schade’s early ball, it was a standout moment of flair – albeit a rare one. It wasn’t for the want of trying, though. Moreso given the loss of his creative partner so early in to the game. Mathias still looked the player most likely to penetrate the stubborn resistance. Whereas as Schade was about the pace, he was about the passing. It was close between the pair of them, but on an afternoon of slim pickings, they were the standouts.

3rd (three points) Vitaly Janelt 

Again, Vitaly. It almost feels like a copy-paste of the early-season Kayode form.

Yet another 90-minute shift from the tireless German. Only Jensen out-passed him from the midfield and front three. Nobody delivered more crosses into the box. It was another game of Vitaly doing what he does. With so little space to move, he did everything he could to try and distribute the ball and make room for his team-mates.

Sadly, it just wasn’t to be. This time.  

4th (two points) Yehor Yarmoliuk

Fair play to Yarmo, he’s got fire in his belly. Never afraid to stand up for what he feels is his or get involved, we could well be looking at future captain material.

On an afternoon when so much of the play seemed to go through the middle, is it any surprise that all of the central trio made it into the top five? He still gets here on merit, though. One second half-touch and turn was Roy of the Rovers stuff, and whilst the show reel highlights (for everybody) may be thin on the ground this week, he at least seemed to be involved in everything.

5th (one point) Mikkel Damsgaard 

I almost gave it to Kayode, whose running into space down the right deserved much quicker ball out to him, but Mikkel gets the final spot. As much because of what didn’t happen when he went off as what did take place during his brief cameo prior to injury.

On a brutal afternoon, the Bees were crying out for his skill on the ball. They got it, too, as despite the early goal against, Keith’s team still dominated. Mikkel trying to work the gaps, and had he been allowed long on the pitch, I’m sure he would have had more tangible reward.

Certainly, based on what we saw until injury curtailed his involvement.

All of which means the only change in our top five sees Mikkel Damsgaard nudge clear in third place by a single point. However, things are happening just outside this group where a strong performance at Villa on Sunday could find Vitaly, Yarmo, or Schade hitting the top five.

• 1st Igor Thiago. 43 points
• 2nd Michael Kayode. 39 points
• 3rd Mikkel Damsgaard. 30 points
• 4th Caoimhín Kelleher. 29 points
• 5th Jordan Henderson. 28 points