Nick gives us his five best Bees from their Matchweek 22 draw at Arsenal as Ivan Toney regains pole position in the season-long Brentford Player Ratings.
Ten games unbeaten and another side with Champions League aspirations left frustrated by a Brentford team who may well have genuine hopes of making that competition themselves.
This time around, it was no less than league leaders Arsenal who were left to rue crossing paths with Thomas Frank and his team.
The Bees’ insatiable will to win and refusal to be overawed by the opposition, regardless of their reputation or place in the table, showing no signs of abating.
That we were perhaps disappointed to be heading home from the Emirates with ‘only’ a point nothing more than symptomatic of just how well The Bees had played.
On another day, the plethora of first half chances would have seen us going in at the break with noses not so much in front as emulating Pinocchio had the puppet said, “Hmmm. That drum really does add to the atmosphere. Perhaps we should get one for the Gtech”.
To be clear, we’d have been lying so our noses would have grown. Call me controversial but I’ve always thought that if your fans and your club are good enough then atmosphere ends up being self-generated rather than relying on pantomime theatrics. What next, giant flags? Ahhh…
We digress.
Brentford were stunning. The fans equally so. On it from the get go and almost into an early lead. Ivan Toney’s cross into the box was low and fast. The home defence bisected and Rico Henry desperately close to steering it home.
Toney then releasing Bryan Mbeumo who did go one better, only to see it ruled out for an apparent foul by our free scoring number 17 in the build up. If you spotted that then you’re a better observer than yours truly. To be polite, it seemed innocuous at best.
More interplay between Rico, Bryan and Ivan saw Toney presented with another glorious chance but if anything, he hit it too well. 110% on the wellness scale of shot hitting. The ball steered as far away from Ramsdale in nets as it was possible to do. Zinchenko on the line left powerless. For a moment there was arrowing to the postage stamp position before a coming together of post and crossbar interfered. The ball cannoning clear from the top corner rather than nestling in the back of the net.
If anything the goal we actually scored was the one chance that, in hindsight, may have been chalked off.
Mikel Arteta left furious after Toney’s second half header was allowed to stand following an interminable wait for a VAR check. It went on so long it would have been quicker to boil an egg yet subsequent analysis suggested a couple of potential offences might have seen it disallowed. Oh well. It had felt good in real time and even if there had been a technical offence it only made up for the earlier effort that had been harshly ruled out.
Arsenal can whinge, moan and complain all they want but any team wanting to claim the title needs to win their home games.
That they only had one goal to show for all their bluster and time on the ball speaks volumes about just how well the Brentford midfield and defence were organised (more to follow below).
All the Gunners had to show for 23 shots and 69% possession was Leandro Trossard’s solitary effort midway through the second half. It should have spurred them on to victory. It could have broken Brentford hearts. Instead, the Bees kept going and the rest is history.
Next up, the visit from Crystal Palace. The dream of Europe very much alive and given further help by the vast majority of teams around us losing or being held. Statistically speaking, nobody had a tougher game than Brentford though. Aside from Manchester City away, it is as hard a test as they come. Even allowing for the drum.
That The Bees could be forgiven coming out of it channeling their inner Dean Smith talks volumes. Who could forget that wonderful period in our recent history where his post match reaction was an almost constant one that ‘we deserved to win’, regardless of whether we’d been awesome or awful?
On Saturday afternoon, Brentford were very much in the former camp. Goals are what counts so we take the draw but let’s not pretend this performance was anything but top drawer.
All of which brings us to an equally tough challenge. Namely, the season long quest to find our overall top performer aswell as the game by game top five. As seems to be the trend at present (unbeaten since late October will do that), there are more than a few candidates….
Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 22 (vs Arsenal)
1st (Star Player: 5 points) – Ivan Toney
My word, he was magnificent. It was the sort of game Brentford had to approach in the same way as the trip to Manchester City. Go for broke and show zero respect to the calibre or reputation of our opposition.
Ivan typified this. It was all about playing football on the front foot and he did it by the bucketload, outmuscling and out playing everyone around him. He won everything. Most notably the free kick that led to his goal through sheer physicality of presence before then building the move and finishing it to see the scores levelled.
Ivan was everywhere. The balls to Rico and Bryan described earlier just delightful in their timing. Even the one that saw him denied by the bar still needs due recognition. The speed of movement and passing in the build up was wonderful but to then leave himself totally unmarked when the chance presented itself shows just how well he reads the game, how acute his vision is and how tricky a customer he must be to keep tabs on.
As much as anything, his approach was summed up after scoring. Instead of taking the praise or winding up the opposition support, his immediate reaction was to run to the touchline and take the shirt with that message for Sergi Canos. The outpouring of love following his own sad news during the week making it all the more perfect a moment.
2nd (4 points) – Mads Roerslev
The Brentford machine keeps churning them out. Mads has made the step up and into the first team look as seamless as possible. He has featured more and more this campaign but the trip to Arsenal saw a stunning performance in the right wing back position. What Thomas Frank does once Aaron Hickey is fully fit remains a (lovely) problem for another day but for now we need to reflect on just how well Mads played.
His positional sense was just about perfect. The five man defence really suiting his game and seeing Arsenal forced ever wider in their attempts to find a way through. Hanging on to the ball is one thing but if you can’t get past. If a player does what Mads does and stands his ground. If you can’t hang on to it because it’s then been forced out or taken up field then those possession stats count for naff all.
The Brentford wing back role has been one where the ability to travel forward and play it in is as integral as keeping the ball out. There’s no margin for the industrial hoof which will only be retuned with interest. Mads looked as comfortable taking it forward as he did when the ball was coming at him.
3rd (3 points) – Ethan Pinnock
Once again Ethan did what Ethan does.
For all that football is a team game, he produced one of the individual moments of the match with his 88th minute challenge on Eddie Nketiah. The Arsenal number 14 seemingly clean through yards out, yet there was Ethan with the most exquisitely timed challenge. Coming in from the side he somehow got a leg around his man, under the ball and then guided it to safety without even looking close to bringing his opponent down. It was a game saving tackle where, regardless of what had gone before, the point we were sitting on at that moment would have gone out the window had the challenge not been true.
Even beyond that, he was leading the defensive line. A flurry of late, late free kicks saw him the one lining up the troops, directing our position and then first to the ball when it came in.
Whatever nerves were being felt in the stands during those final few minutes certainly not in evidence on the pitch. That pretty much summed up Ethan’s afternoon though. Heading clear, standing his ground and putting the brakes on any attempt from Arsenal to squeeze through.
4th (2 points) – Rico Henry
Watching the game unfold it seemed apparent that Rico would be in the top five, somewhere. He edges ahead of our fifth-placed choice as much because of the high line he played when Brentford did follow that oft given advice and pushed up.
There was the early opportunity when the goal was beckoning. On another day Ivan’s cross would have been met with jubilation rather than the ball being pushed wide. That’s football though. That Rico was even in the position in the first instance, so early into the game, showed again his value. Moreso with the back five formation necessitating two up top rather than last week’s three.
Just as Mads forced Arsenal wide into the channels on the right before breaking with the ball, Rico did the same on the left. His work with Bryan and Ivan just delicious to watch. The trio breaking with speed – not just of feet but of passing. It was electric stuff. Find a way to get Schade amongst them and somebody is going to be torn a new one.
That’s to come. For now, we need to look back on another classic Rico performance which has seen the most miserly of defences give up just two goals against in the last six games. Not bad for a man who spent as much time trying to get into the opposition box as he did in his own.
5th (1 point) – Bryan Mbeumo
Tough, tough call on this. Ben Mee, Kris Ajer and Christian Norgaard amongst other possible contenders for the final berth.
However, in the end it goes to Bryan as much for his being the player who scored the most legitimate looking of our two goals, despite the officials chalking off the wrong one. Mikel Arteta understandably quite happy with the decision making for that one.
Bryan wasn’t to know the referee had seen something so the calmness of finish and speed running at goal was testament to his own ability. On any other day it would have counted. Yet for me, the move with Ivan and Rico that saw the woodwork silence that pathetic drum was the single most beautiful moment of the game (the goal aside, of course). It was scintillating and breathtaking in equal measure, with Bryan at the heart of it.
Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Players Overall (after Matchweek 22)
All of which means that as we prepare to welcome Crystal Palace, Ivan Toney is back out ahead of Ben Mee once again with Rico Henry going third. Mathias Jensen and David Raya make up the top five but Ethan Pinnock is very much surging up the blind side and on 27 points at present, could well be timing his run to perfection.
1st – Ivan Toney (41 points)
2nd – Ben Mee (39 points)
3rd – Rico Henry (34 points)
4th – Mathias Jensen (33 points)
5th – David Raya (31 points)
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2022-23 Brentford Player Ratings – Matchweek 21 by Nick Bruzon
