Nick Bruzon gives us his 5 best Bees from their Matchweek 16 draw against Spurs and updates his top 5 Brentford players over the season so far.
The World Cup has been and gone. The Premier League is back and, it would be fair to say, we’ve missed it dreadfully.
Brentford and Spurs played out a thrilling 2-2 on Boxing Day that left supporters talking about this one all the way home.
We should perhaps have won. We could nearly have lost. In the cold light of day on Sunday/Monday (ah that beautiful post-Christmas period where the actual day of the week is nothing more than a vague concept), a point for Brentford at home to Tottenham needs to be taken for the positive result it is. The Bees sitting in the top ten of the Premier League and ruing what still feels a missed opportunity.
Take heart, Brentford fans. Thomas Frank was there to give it context. As ever. He used his post match interview to opine: “The players are very disappointed. Being Brentford, the second lowest budget, playing Tottenham who are fourth in the league with all their world class players, I think that’s very, very impressive.”
The one thing we can say for sure is that it was an absolute humdinger of a game. Brentford coming out of the traps flying and pinging it around with impunity. Spurs struggling to get a look in. Their players very much chasing shadows and looking like they’d overdone it the previous day. That core midfield trio of Jensen, Norgaard and Janelt opening them up as easily as a leftover present until the inevitable happened.
Bryan played the ball across. Jensen’s shot was only parried by Forster in nets and there was Vitaly to slot it home from just a few yards out. His run into the box perfectly timed and made the goal look way simpler than it actually was. That it came mere minutes after the applause for much missed supporters Derek Hazel, Bob Winstanley and Alan Wheatley made it all the sweeter. Brentford a goal up and running the show.
The impressive Zanka could have doubled the lead with a snap shot on the turn. Then Jensen released Ivan with a delicious pass from deep. The finish was as beautiful as we’ve come to love over the years but, alas, the official’s flag meant celebrations were muted.
Still, a goal up at half-time was more than enough to be pleased with.
If we went into he break happy we came out of it ecstatic. With barely ten minutes on the board, who else but Ivan Toney to double the lead? If the goal had been threatening, it came from an unlikely source. Eric’s dire clearance should have found the back of Row Z on the half-way line but, somehow, the Tottenham man conspired to spoon it backwards in a style much akin to Toblerone booted, former Chelsea goalkeeper, Ross Turnbull.
It was a kick that seemed to defy the laws of physics, so impossibly was it hit, yet the Bees sniffed blood and made no mistake from this belated Christmas gift. Christian Norgaard heading the ball forwards and Ivan making no mistake. Like Vitaly before him, timing that run to perfection and making the difficult looks simple.
2-0 up and Brentford more than worthy of the scoreline.
Nothing could go wrong from here. Could it? Except, of course, Spurs decided to wake up. To start playing.
With referee David Coote also rising from his slumbers and enraging anybody in red and white, it was the visitors’ turn to feel confident.
There was Harry Kane to halve the deficit just after the hour with a precise header. Then Hojbjerg levelled it up after the Brentford defence had been stretched by an ever wider series of passes. Little over a quarter hour after looking home and hosed, the Bees found themselves level and on the back foot.
In the end, there were to be no more goals. Bryan came close. Harry Kane even closer when only the woodwork kept his header out. Ivan Toney had the last decent chance of the game but, sadly, couldn’t quite find the net.
The only other incident of note being the two non-penalties. Matt Doherty’s cringeworthy dive under no pressure from Zanka receiving firm condemnation from everyone barring Mr Coote. Plus ça change. That the man ‘in charge’ then decided to show Bryan yellow for a similar pratfall up the other end just moments later further enraged the home faithful with his ongoing inconsistency. Very much a case of being driven crackers at Christmas. Or perhaps he’d just had his fill of seasonal cards?
All the post match analysis won’t change the fact that ‘only’ a point against a team packed full of star quality (and also Eric Dier) is still a more than commendable result.
Offered up 4 out of 6 from this and our previous game, that trip to Man City, I think we’d all have taken them in advance. Perhaps its’ just a mark of how well we play on our day. Of where we have come. There are only 9 teams in the country better than Brentford at the moment. Don’t @me. The table doesn’t lie.
Which brings us nicely to those players who have got us there. The search for our season long star player and top five. It was game where the decisions changed as the game progressed and, honestly, I think any of these could have a legitimate claim to coming in any order.
In the end though, I’m giving it to….
Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 16 (vs Tottenham)
1st (Star Player: 5 points) – Ivan Toney
Instead of letting any waves of pressure get to him, Ivan rode them with all the ease of a champion surfer. Anyone who was fortunate enough to greet him at the recent ‘meet the players event’ saw a player who looked happy, chatty and relaxed. To see this translate into BAU Ivan on pitch was something else.
He wasn’t to know the pass from Mathias was offside yet he made rounding Fraser Forster look child’s play before steering it into the now empty net. His finish for our second goal a masterclass in timing the run and losing all defenders. There could have been more. On another day there will be. Chuck in that phenomenal work rate and desire to win to see how much he means to us, and vice-versa.
His game was perhaps typified by yet another bit of manhandling that saw no protection from David Coote. This time, c/o Clément Lenglet. The result was inevitable with the same player then picking up the ball and immediately feeling Ivan charging in. Coote found his cards then. The fans found yet another reason to love Ivan.
2nd (4 points) – Christian Norgaard
The Fantasy Football scores will show him with an assist. For those of us watching the game, it was one of those displays that showed just how badly he’s been missed.
A first full start after months out and it was the equivalent to a new signing. He was that good. Much like last season when David Raya returned from injury, the realisation of just how key some players are truly hit home.
Christian was immense. Solid. Quick. Full of perfectly timed tackles. Breaking up any half-hearted attempt at attacking play that the visitors may have attempted to instigate with all the joy of a child tucking into a stash of presents under the tree. It has felt like a long wait for this day but now it was here, that opportunity was relished. Christian was magnificent. Bravo
3rd (3 points) – Vitaly Janelt
Yes, there was the goal. Of course we all look to that but Vitaly had set his stall out long before.
Just minutes into the game he’d carved open the Spurs midfield as if it was nothing more than a Christmas…. (no, the analogy is lost on me) with a pass that took three players out in one deft touch. It was wonderful stuff and his game built from there.
Tireless. Hungry. Taking the game to this galaxy of stars (and also Eric Dier) laid out before him. Firm in the tackle and quick to distribute. It was classic Vitaly. Top, top man.
4th (2 points) – Mathias Jensen
I wanted him higher up. He deserves to be higher up. As much as anything else it is kudos to the way he, Vitaly and Christian took Tottenham out of the game. Stopped them breaking and, instead, took it to them at 100mph.
One moment of filth in the first half, beating his man as the ball shifted from foot to foot, deserved to have been caught by the MOTD cameras. Still, if you were there then you saw it. Lovely stuff.
His pass to Ivan for the offside ‘goal’ was similar to the one against Manchester United (when we beat them 4-0). Precision x distance = exquisite. On this occasion the flag got in the way but neither he or Ivan were to know this as Tottenham were again split open by a single ball.
It was the right move to take him off when Thomas did. David Coote’s new found fondness for card waving in the second half meant he was in danger of picking up a second yellow. That the Bees looked so less comfortable without him tells you all you need to know.
5th (1 point) – Ethan Pinnock
Ben Mee. Rico Henry. Zanka. All had a really good shout for this final berth. Yet, for me Clive, Ethan was imperious at the back.
When the visitors did find a way through he was there. Whether with his head, a hyper-extending leg (there was one genuine ‘How DID he reach that?’ moment in the first half that was, again, missed by the cameras) or just a good old-fashioned interception. Whatever the means, the answer was always the same – none shall pass.
He and David were left powerless for the goals against but for Ethan in particular, that our guests were limited to just the two puts it all in to perspective as to just how strong he was.
Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Players Overall (after Matchweek 16)
All of which means that following out first game after the World Cup, there’s another change in the top five. Back to back ‘star player’ performances see Ivan Toney (33) overtake Ben Mee (30), whilst David Raya remains third (25). Rico Henry, perhaps unfortunate to miss out on the points this time around, is fourth (22) and Mathias Jensen completes the top five (21).
1st – Ivan Toney (33 points)
2nd – Ben Mee (30 points)
3rd – David Raya (25 points)
4th – Rico Henry (22 points)
5th – Mathias Jensen (21 points)
One thing’s for sure, with Christian Norgaard back to his best and other external factors still to be determined, this race has a long way to run. Now bring on West Ham.
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2022-23 Brentford Player Ratings – Matchweek 16 by Nick Bruzon
