Nick Bruzon provides an update to his list containing the top 5 Brentford players over the season so far. This edition comes after a defeat to Southampton in Gameweek 20.
“Never ruin a good story with the facts”. Not my words but those of my good Australian friend, Bucko.
So whilst the story may not have been the best, here are the facts. Brentford were abject. Lethargic. Second to everything.
Compare us to Southampton who came out of the blocks flying and never stopped running. Never stopped chasing. Never stopped applying the pressure. Closing down Brentford and winning the second ball time and again. The Bees weren’t at the races. The Saints not so much marching in as marching all over us.
All of Thomas Franks’s prematch words about their high press being proven true. Yet despite knowing what would come, we were powerless to stop it. Impotent. Flaccid. Played off the park with only a late surge threatening to bring back some respectability to what was, by that point, a 4-1 deficit. This before we suffered the ultimate indignity of a mobile phone light show from the Southampton fans. It was like being trapped at a Coldplay concert, although the only Yellow being that shown to Ivan Toney.
Thankfully, we’re past the half way point of the season so at least he’s available for Liverpool on Sunday.
Now comes the Herculean task of trying to pick our top five performers. But who? Ivan was strangely quiet. Pontus off his game. Alvaro Fernandez baffling. They weren’t alone. We were bested. No question. Rather than Bucko, perhaps time to take a quote from the great Larry David when it comes to contemplating this exercise, “I would submit it’s as big a waste of time as watching the Kardashians”.
I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not five, anyway. Call it a kop out but there can be no celebration of mediocrity. Instead, we’ll recognise those who deserve it and stop there. With, of course, the awareness that one debacle is just that. One. This is not a season-like trend and sometimes one needs to acknowledge we were as off our game as the opposition were on it. However, when the good performances were as prolific as the laughs in an episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys, we need to reflect this.
Brentford Player Ratings from Gameweek 20 (vs Southampton)
1st – Vitaly Janelt
Scored a quite beautiful goal to level things up early doors. That woeful start suddenly nullified by an exquisite left foot volley. Had another effort soon after that Fraser Forster just pushed wide to keep Saints in it.
The only Brentford player to look like scoring until it was way, way too late.
2nd – Shandon Baptiste
He tried to breath some life into the game. Pushed on in midfield but with no real outlet was left holding the baby far too often. Metaphorically speaking.
3rd – Bryan Mbeumo
Like Shandon, at least he was prepared to try and run with the ball. Supplied the cross for Vitaly’s goal and got involved with Wissa late on when his ball over deserved more.
That’s it, though. The defence went awol. The opposition out-thought and out-played Brentford. We can’t change it but we can go again.
Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Players Overall (after Gameweek 20)
All of which means Mbuemo climbs above Rico Henry whilst Janelt and Baptiste are vying neck-and-neck in 5th.
1st – Ivan Toney
2nd – Christian Norgaard
3rd – Bryan Mbuemo
4th – Rico Henry
T5th – Vitaly Janelt, Shandon Baptiste
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