Brentford host Chelsea on Friday evening with both teams knowing that victory will move them third in the table before the others get a chance to play.
It is a testament to the Bees’ shrewd investment and the Blues’ ability to spend gargantuan amounts of money that the two sides find themselves in this position. Only a point separates them and this will, perhaps, be the most intriguing of the West London derbies played since Brentford’s reaching the Premier League.
We won’t overly dwell on past form; it counts for nothing more than happy memories 4-1, 2-0 and 2-0 to the Bees at Stamford Bridge) or frustration (Chelsea have come away from the Gtech with at least a point every Premier League game played). Instead, this is more about the opportunity to make further progress up the table and write a new chapter in the big book of footballing history.
If Keith Andrews wants to do this, he’s going to need to park the fact that his side are unbeaten and very much focus on the opposition. A club that spent over £350m over the summer to bolster a squad already full of big-name players is about as big a challenge as it comes. Morgan Rogers, the marquee signing in a window where they still managed to more than balance the books, incredibly. The offloading of Enzo Fernández and Nicolas Jackson, among others to see the accountants happy. This season.
In Keith’s favour is a reported injury to Joao Pedro, with everybody’s favourite influencer Fabrizio Romano sharing that the player has had to pull out of the Brazil squad. Here we (don’t) go. Whether this is an injury or an ‘injury’ remains to be seen, of course, but to an extent it is of no real consequence. At least, for a Brentford side for whom Keith Andrews’ priority has to be a return to winning ways.
The last 14 Premier League games have only seen him achieve two wins (along with a staggering ten draws and 2 defeats – both in Manchester to City and United). Unbeaten is great, and you can’t knock this campaign’s six-game streak that has also seen midweek progression to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. The somewhat dubious-sounding reward for that yet another away tie, this time to Sunderland.
Yet three points from the last three league games after that explosive start against ‘since-exposed-as-inept’ Tottenham has put the brakes on matters somewhat. More so considering that, like Chelsea, the Bees have taken the lead in all of their league games to date. Indeed, no other side has managed this feat. The need to turn a fine start into a win something I am sure Keith will be more than alert to. The question being how does he do it?
Likewise, how does he get Igor Thiago to find the back of the net again? The Brazilian international is yet to trouble the scorers so far this league campaign, although the solutions are simple. One – give him the blinkin’ ball. Two – I’ll bench him from my Fantasy Football team. The subs bench in that online game having an almost jinx-like ability to enable whoever finds their way onto it to suddenly hit peak form.
Jokes aside – albeit I HAVE binned him off in order to do my bit (we all know it is lucky shirts, magic pants and any other pre-game ritual that takes supporter fancy which actually determine the outcome rather than anything Keith may think he is doing) – the Bees have at least been scoring from other places around the park.
The rejuvenation of Kevin Schade (not the title of the next Bluetones album) has been almost magical in its quality, with his second goal in last weekend’s 2-2 at Bournemouth about as confidence-filled and special a finish as they come. Pure class from the German. He’ll be relishing the chance to go again on Friday night. Whatever the catalyst for this return to form, long may it continue. Schade very much a class operator at present.
It seems as though Mathis Jensen will still be missing. A brutal shame as his creativity in midfield has been sorely missed in recent outings whilst Keith also has tough calls to make over Hickey v Kayode, Damsgaard v Yarmoliuk and Ouattara v Anthony. That’s before we get to KLP or El Hadji Malick Diouf. The latter had a massive chance to impress at Reading during the week but missed the target somewhat. He wasn’t alone but these are early days for a new-look squad.
I suspect Keith will line up as follows:
Caoimhín Kelleher; Michael Kayode, Kris Ajer, Jannik Schuster, Keane Lewis-Potter; Vitaly Janelt, Mamadou Sangaré, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade.
Tough on Aaron Hickey in particular but the additional element of the Kayode long throw (something you may not have heard mentioned previously) is perhaps a weapon Keith will seek to use against a defence that have been somewhat, err, haphazard. Out of the traps, all guns blazing should be the order of the day. No respect shown. No ducks given. No sitting back. Let’s look to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Instead, Aaron will have to be part of the bigger picture, set up as part of the finishing XI rather than the starting XI. Along with Dango and Damsgaard, we can expect him to enter the fray during the 60th-minute tranche of subs-by-numbers.
As for Chelsea, good luck guessing that one. So I won’t. A squad so deep in £ signs and so rich in theoretical quality that you may as well chuck car keys in a bowl and see which 11 you pick out. Whether they can find that magical combination is the trick and last weekend’s draw with Hull City won’t have made the solution to that challenge any clearer.
Talking of challenges (nurse, the crowbar) we follow last weekend’s joy of Jarred Gillet with another visit from the haphazard man-in-the-middle. This time around, he is on VAR duty in a team of officials that only seems to be missing Stuart Attwell for a full house.
Referee: Andy Madley.
Assistants: Nick Hopton, Craig Taylor.
Fourth official: Lewis Smith.
VAR: Jarred Gillett.
Assistant VAR: Edward Smart.
I’m sure they’ll be fine…. I’m sure we’ll be fine. This is all about the chance to finally beat Chelsea at home. We find it easy enough at Stamford Bridge, but can Brentford do it on a Friday night under lights in TW8?
I can’t wait to find out. Bring it on and see you there!
