Brentford travel to Aston Villa looking to bounce back after two tough defeats

Last weekend’s home defeat to Nottingham Forest was about as frustrating as they come. A game where fate seemed against the Bees from the moment the teams switched ends at the coin toss, and they had to start the game kicking ‘the wrong way’. Referee Sam Barrott had a great day out running around – much like a golden retriever let off the leash at the beach and about as effective – whilst Sean Dyche’s team typified their manager’s negativity.

Fair play to them, like Chelsea the week prior, they took their chances and won the game with two goals from their only two shots on target. Unlike Chelsea, where I still think the performance was one which on another day would have seen at least one point if not all three taken, this time around, the Bees were unable to outthink a team who almost revelled in sucking the joy out of football.

Forest with as much flair as a pair of drainpipe trousers, but beyond ecstatic to pick up points. Something evident by Mr Barrott’s giving them as much time as they wanted to celebrate the opening goal before ambling back to their own half for the restart once the mood eventually took them. The less said about the defensive abomination that was their second goal, the better.

The afternoon perhaps typified by Kris Ajer and Mikkel Damsgaard both having to go off in the first half after suffering simultaneous but totally separate injuries. The loss of Damsgaard in particular was hard felt and of grave concern, given he seemed to go down unchallenged. The good news on that front is that Keith Andrews gave a largely positive update during Thursday’s press conference, although, as always, he kept his cards very close to his chest when telling our friends at media:

“It was concerning, but they’re both pretty good, really. It’s nothing serious… whether they’ll be available for the weekend or not, I’m not entirely sure on both of them, but if they’re not, they won’t be far off. That tells you it’s not too bad, thankfully, because I was pretty worried.”

Take from that what you will. I’ve long since given up trying to guess who starts, and this has done nothing to help in that challenge. Keith been consistent in the last few games with the midfield of Janelt, Yarmoliuk, and Jensen nailed on after really impressing. However, I do wonder if those successive defeats and the new injuries may go some way to perhaps tempting him to mix things up.

For Aston Villa, Unai Emery has the opposite challenge. At least on the form front where they are flying. After a somewhat tepid opening to the campaign that saw just one goal scored and two points earned, including the 1-0 reverse at the Gtech, in the first five games, they’ve been on fire. The Premier League’s form team since game week 6, with 43 points earned and 24 games won, is a record that surpasses everybody else in the division.

They’re just four points behind leaders Arsenal, and with Mikkel Arteta’s team entering their annual choke phase with no win in three, the opportunity is there to be grasped.

Moreso if the Gunners slip up in what will only be a tricky trip to Leeds United on Saturday afternoon. A game between the current and perennial kings of grasping defeat from the jaws of victory, El FallingApartAgaininco could end up having more influence on Sunday’s game than one would care to consider.

Villa have their own injury concerns, though. John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, and Youri Tielemans are already on the missing list, whilst were joined in the treatment room by Ollie Watkins on Thursday evening. The former Bee going off with a hamstring injury in the 3-2 defeat of Red Bull Salzburg and now, surely, missing on Sunday.

The one positive for Villa – at least on the fitness front – would be their transfer activity in the January window. Like the returning Douglas Luiz, the signing of Tammy Abraham up top sees another player commence a second spell at Villa Park and is a real statement of intent that they mean business as we push into the second half of the campaign.

Still in serious contention for silverware on three fronts, they are showing no sign of slowing down. Whether this game comes too soon for the new signings remains to be seen, although the injury to Watkins may have forced Emery’s hand early.

For those with an eye on such things, our referee is Tim Robinson. He’ll be assisted on VAR by Paul Tierney. Let’s hope they have a good game.

This is going to be a really tough match for Brentford. Keith Andrews can at least take comfort in the fact that the Bees seem to perform better against the good sides. Can raise their game to match the efforts of those who play actual football. Had Igor Thiago converted that early chance against Forest, we’d have won the game, I’m sure.

He didn’t, and we now find ourselves picking at the corpse of what was ultimately a dour defeat. That’s football. It happens. Sometimes, as with Newcastle United, we end up smashing the teams that play with a generous dollop of sh*thousery. At others, it just doesn’t work out.

The most important thing is what happens next. I can’t wait for the trip to Villa Park when we find out. With Brentford still knocking on the door of Europe themselves, this could be an absolute cracker…