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Daily Brentford Match Review Monday: Missed Chances at the Gtech
57 Plays9 days ago
This is your Match Review Monday, as we reflect on the stalemate at the weekend as Brentford and Chelsea saw out a 0-0 draw. We discuss the changes for both sides, a lack of quality in the final third and just how close the Bees are to challenging the better sides in the league.
Host: Daniel Toppin
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Promotion
00:00:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome to another episode of your Daily Brentford podcast with myself, Daniel, where today we will be reflecting on a closely four nil-nil stalemate at the weekend as Chelsea were held at the GTEC.
00:00:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Just before we get going, guys, we're a brand new company, so we're looking for your support this season and beyond. like to bring you the best and most in-depth coverage across the entire network. Whether this is a five-star review on your favourite podcasting platform or a recommendation to your friends, we are very grateful for any support that we receive.
00:00:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
So let's get
Player Partnerships and Performances
00:00:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
stuck. straight into it so vandenberg came back into the side alongside nathan collins something thing of that i had been calling for i think their partnership is the one for the future i think that's the one we should be building around for next season so what why not start now and i think whenever they play together this season i think they complement each other well I don't think there's any clear weaknesses from the two. And I think Collins has grown so much this season. Hopefully Vandenberg as well can equally grow alongside him and they can be hopefully a formidable pairing for next season. Christopher Ayer came in at right back to replace Vandenberg, who started the last game at right back.
00:01:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And I thought he did okay. It's good to see him actually having ah longer run of fitness and hopefully that continues to the end of the season into preseason so he can be set up well for the next season to come.
00:01:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
It was great to see Coyote also get some minutes off the bench in this one, came coming on quite late on. He struggled a little bit to get on the ball much. Didn't get to see any of his attacking overlap abilities with with um with Brian on that right-hand side.
00:01:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hopefully, again, that is something I want us to see in the last seven or so games. I want to see Coyote start a couple of those and see what he can do. um Jury seems to be out on whether we'll actually make that signing permanent. So I think, you know, he deserves the opportunity.
00:02:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
and And again, I think now is the time for him to show us what he can do.
Midfield Dynamics and Tactical Insights
00:02:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
D'Amrsgaard came back into the side as well in midfield. No surprise there, but Janel was the one to come out. Jan Moliak remained in the side.
00:02:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And Jan Moliak's an interesting one, I think. He's clearly grown so much in the last couple of years. At Brentford, obviously, it's a brand new country for him. It must have taken him some time to settle into the area.
00:02:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
i think the club have have done really well behind the scenes to help him do that. um And he looks tidy. He does look tidy on the ball. You know, he's very... you can You can tell he's got good technical quality. However, at times, perhaps he's not positive enough. He's not brave enough. He looks for the easy ball.
00:02:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
um he He sometimes goes backwards instead of you know looking for um maybe the sort of pass that the likes of Damsgaard or Jensen might play. um And I think now we need to start to see him go to the next level.
00:03:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
If I'm being harsh, I think over the next year or so, we've got to see him progress into a tidy, kind of unremarkable player. ah he's a different player to Yenelt, but in terms of charitable performances, you know, perhaps on a similar level, ah do we need to see him get to that next level if he really wants to cement a place in the starting 11 in the longer term? Because I think that third midfield spot alongside Norgard, who signed a contract, and Damsgaard, who obviously he also signed a new contract this season, and I think is still up for grabs. And I think if someone comes in in the summer, um they will fancy themselves to take that spot starting spot from
00:03:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
either Janel or Jarmolyuk or whoever has it at the time. and Jensen, we saw on the bench, he's another one that could perhaps take that third midfield spot. It's been a disappointing season for him in terms of injury and illness and and never quite getting up to scratch again.
00:03:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Came on late here, didn't do a lot, didn't really have a chance to do a lot, I think. and We all know what he can do in terms of um being that playmaker from a deeper position on the pitch.
00:04:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
And again, it's something I want to see him just get ready for next season, hopefully get a run games in his belt in the remaining games this season. Rico Henry is another one on the bench for the first time in a few weeks at the weekend.
00:04:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Could we have maybe, given the lack of attacking depth on the bench, could we maybe have brought him on, which would have released Keane Lewis Potter forward late on Perhaps... It wasn't Sharder's best game, so I wouldn't have said no to that. I think Keane Lewis Potter, we've got to give him a chance further forward.
00:04:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Although I do have my own doubts about Lewis Potter and and whether he yeah is actually better or more effective um in that left-back role, because I do have some concerns maybe about his end product in the final third as well.
Game Recap and Analysis
00:04:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Looking to the Chelsea line-up, um which is quite surprising, actually. They really rolled the dice. leaving out Cole Palmer, Jackson, Kukurela, Colwell, Neto, and even more of their regular starters on the bench.
00:05:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
However, they didn't really improve massively. um When they started to to come on, I thought Sanchez, as expected, looked very shaky, especially early on on the ball. But he did make some good saves as the game progressed.
00:05:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And it's an interesting one with us. They do have Europe this week on Thursday night against Legia. and And with no disrespect to those sides that they were facing the Conference League,
00:05:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
you would have thought they should be getting past them um relatively comfortably um with their resources, even potentially with their second string side. um And given their position in the Premier League, I am surprised they made so many changes, um which implies that they are focusing on that over um the ultimate goal of getting top five to be in the Champions League next season. I thought that's an interesting move.
00:05:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Perhaps some of it wasn't based on... um you know wrestling players perhaps it was based on form I know Cole Palmer although he's Chelsea's best player on his day he's not had many of those days lately I think Jackson again is a bit more wasteful in front of goal maybe back to his old self in the last few weeks so maybe um some of those changes were based on form but you know i think I think they did improve maybe slightly when they came on the pitch but Still not for me. And I didn't look at this Chelsea side. I think they're a top four or five team. I thought Brentford competed really, really well against them. And, you know, you wouldn't have noticed um the difference between the sides in the league table watching the game. So we'll get into that after the break um where we will be going through. I'll try my best. It wasn't the best game in the world, but we'll be going through the game itself and the chances either side had to win it.
Sponsorship and Game Comparison
00:07:35
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00:07:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
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00:08:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello, welcome to part two of your Daily Brentford podcast with myself, Daniel, as we look to dissect the draw of the weekend against Chelsea at the GTEC. I thought it showed signs of encouragement, um the game.
00:08:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
I didn't think it was certainly as bad as the City, United, Manchester derby um that followed it on Sunday afternoon. I thought it was an end-to-end game. I thought there were half chances at both ends.
00:08:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
But maybe just that lack of quality, and that final bit of quality, um not just from Brentford, but also from Chelsea too. um We saw very early on Chelsea getting a free kick. Tosin not being able to quite connect with it and Kunku the same. The follow-up at the back post.
00:08:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
Shada, I have to talk about him because it wasn't his best game in recent weeks, despite me saying, Recently, he's probably been the best performing of the front three. um And again, this free kick in the first minute, and it's something of me bugging me for a couple of games now, for so I thought I um would mention it.
00:09:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
The way he just gives away soft fouls at times, um which puts us under pressure, you know, that that is a dangerous position to concede a free kick in the opening minute of the game.
Critique and Scoring Opportunities
00:09:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
And in my opinion, it's completely unnecessary.
00:09:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
And if you watch him, Kevin Sharla does have this habit of just shoving somebody in the back fairly obviously he doesn't do very good job hiding it um he did it several times as well against Newcastle um and just giving his soft fouls away in this manner it must frustrate Thomas Frank and it's becoming a theme and again it's something part of Shard's game that he just needs to tie up he needs to just grow learn become a more experienced um game by game, week by week, and he needs to cut those out. You know, it's one thing being aggressive and there's one thing being slightly naive um and unnecessarily giving away fouls when you don't need to. So i just wanted to mention that there. At the other end, though, Brentford did have some chances. Brian and Boomer hooked across goal. Wisser did not convert.
00:10:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
He was stretching for the ball. Could he have been anticipating um the cross of Brian and Bumo earlier on. um If he had just entered that space, you know, seconds earlier, he could have been there for, you know, a much easier finish rather than stretching to try and finish it and ultimately putting it in the side, netting.
00:10:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Damsgaard, the chance that Damsgaard had moments later, Robert Sanchez, as I spoke about, looking very nervous in the Chelsea goal with the ball at his feet, poor distribution,
00:10:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Brentford broke, Wisser, lovely ball into Damsgaard. You'd want this chance to be the other way around, really. You'd want Damsgaard to be the one to play the ball and Wisser to finish it off. Great first touch from Damsgaard. And then he just completely miskicks it.
00:10:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And that, ah along with the Vandenberg chance, which we'll go on to in the second half, I think, was probably our two biggest moments of the game to try and score here. And I think Damsgaard will be very disappointed with that. Yeah.
00:11:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
All I can say, same as last week, is you know that that's the one area he needs to add to his game. And I do find it a little bit strange, given that he is so good on the ball um when it comes to passing, you know when it comes to creating opportunities, seeing things others don't see. It does surprise me that he struggles often or he rushes his finish in front of goal.
00:11:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
I can only imagine it's more of a mental thing. He's aware that he's not scored maybe as many as he should have this season. And that's the last bit of his game. He needs to really improve. um But I do hope to see that, you know, if if he starts scoring goals, I still maintain the dams guard would become one of the best players in the Premier League if he's able to do that. um And, you know, he's come on so so much this season, so I'll never rule it out.
00:11:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
ah But that is definitely the area he needs to improve. Shortly after that, Brian Abumo driving across goal, doing what we know him to do, cutting across onto his favoured left foot, went for the near post, which he has done quite a lot recently as well.
00:12:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Drills it just wide of Sanchez's goal. Bit unlucky there, I suppose. Keane Lewis Potter, head up from a corner shortly after, well saved by Sanchez.
00:12:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
Chelsea will probably be disappointed that Lewis Potter was able to get contact on the ball, ah given you know he's not he's not the tallest player on the pitch. I didn't think there's much more that Lewis Potter maybe could have done, but a bit unlucky there not to score from a corner.
00:12:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
What i do want to talk about, though, is the holding from Rhys James on Nathan Collins um as the corner came in. It seems to have gone unnoticed. It wasn't mentioned on Match the Day either.
00:12:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't understand how that can't be looked at. And if it was looked at, I don't understand why, you know, no action was taken on it because you could see before the corner even was was even taken, Rhys James had his back to play.
00:13:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
He was facing Nathan Collins. He wasn't looking at the ball. His sole aim was to deal with Nathan Collins. And, you know, ultimately he wrestles him to the floor as the corner is taken and and nothing further is thought of it. And,
00:13:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, those are the ones you see given sometimes. And I'm very surprised that that was allowed to happen. You know, the referee had a couple of words with them um an earlier corner, but, you know, nothing ever really seemed to come from it. And, you know, if you have all players doing that, if you have all the players on the side, you know, turned away from where the corner is being taken and, you know, just wrestling with their man, you know, that clearly isn't the right thing and not what we want to see in situations like that. So I am quite surprised
Competitive Assessment and Future Outlook
00:13:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
that more wasn't made of that, including from the Brentford players. Um, obviously KLP went close, but I'm surprised that we didn't try and make more of that and try and, um argue, you know, that what, what's happening shouldn't be happening.
00:14:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
um that was about it for the first half. and and And I thought if anything, we were perhaps in the ascendancy, we probably deserve the lead that dams guard chance get playing through my head. Um,
00:14:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it started to feel like, is it another one of those tight games against the top side um that is just going to get away from us, that we've just not got that final bit of quality, that we just can't put them away.
00:14:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
um And I suppose to an extent um that that came to fruition in the second half. Chelsea did improve slightly. Neto forced Fleckard into a couple of saves in the second half. Rhys James also had a similar header to KLP from a corner, which Fleckard managed to tip away.
00:14:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
All of those saves, I think, though, are saves that you probably expect Fleckard to make. I thought he was very good in this game, um but I certainly don't feel that he was needed to be called into anything outstanding to keep Chelsea out. I thought Chelsea were quite disappointing for the most part.
00:15:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't think the likes of introducing Palmer had and the impact they hoped it would. I thought, you know, that they were playing very safe, keeping the ball, but not really penetrating us a lot.
00:15:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
And just lack that focal point, that's real goal scorer to to put the game to bed from their point of view. And then came Brentford's best chances in the last 10 minutes of that ah that second half. And wow.
00:15:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Brian Abumo, first of all, a bit of a lucky um break as Chelsea had a corner. Brian Abumo looked like he was trying to smash it clear, um got the ball caught a little bit, um ended up coming away with it on on the dribble. It turned into a really good first touch.
00:15:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
um fast break what we like to see um trademark Brentford attacking play in many aspects and Bumov forcing a low save from Robert Sanchez to win a corner from that corner Vandenberg the ball was delivered to him on a six pence right in front of the goal doesn't get the connection he wants on the header, heads it down into the ground, but so so far in front of him down in the ground that it ends up bouncing still over the bar.
00:16:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I think he's got to be getting that on target. He's got to be, you know, at least testing Sanchez from there, if not scoring. And I thought that alongside the Dam's guard chance in the first half was our best chance to really put our but i imprint on this game and come away with the three points and It was disappointing. And I think at that stage, you started to think it's not happening. It's not happening here.
00:16:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
um the The final bit of quality just isn't quite there. There was a period when Sharda again did some good work on that left-hand side. He got inside his full-back, beat him, and then he just smashed it across the box. And there just didn't seem to be any composure in regards to that final pass or the final shot.
00:17:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
um which is not ideal, not ideal for this stage of the season. I've got an inkling that, you know, our front three or four aren't really at the top of their game right now.
00:17:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
And when you have that situation where maybe three or four players have dropped off slightly and there's no depth on the bench, you know, this is the result, you know, you're likely to see. And it's not a bad result here, but I just think,
00:17:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know, it could have been much more, um, and maybe, um, it's, could be seen as two points dropped in the end. Wisser, again, slightly after the Vandenberg effort, headed inches wide himself, not sure he could have done much more about that, a little bit unlucky, but again, you know, few inches further to the left, I mean, it would have been inside Sanchez's post, um,
00:17:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
And then right at the end in stoppage time, I thought if anything, Chelsea looked like them more likely to score again. And Cole Palmer had that effort right at the end where he was free on the edge of the area. Nice turn just over the bar. And we've seen him score those types of goals. I think if Chelsea wanted that to fall to anyone,
00:18:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
It would have been him, but it would have been very, very cruel on Brentford if that had gone in, but also something that sadly I think we've seen before from us this season.
Conclusion and Social Media Invitation
00:18:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Overall, I thought it was a decent game. I thought it was nice to see us competing. I think when when you just watch that game compared to where we were a couple of years ago even, it was nice to see us competing against a traditional top six side, but not in a way previously where we sit in a low block You know, we went toe to toe. We were high pressing. We matched them in nearly every area.
00:18:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Watching that game, you wouldn't think, you know, one of the sides were in the top four and one of the sides were in mid-table. I thought they looked like there was hardly anything between the two sides, which I think has got to be a positive.
00:19:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
um But at the same time, it's a missed opportunity for three points. And I think similar to some of our previous home games against Chelsea in that over the years, we've where we've played well, just not managed to quite get get the finishing touch on things. um So it was a missed opportunity in my opinion, but I also think we've lost we've lost games of this type this season.
00:19:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
um Tight games against better sides, and if more of them have been turned into draws like this one was, then you know we'd likely be in a much better position than really looking towards those European places. But...
00:19:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're not far away. i That's what I would take from this. We're not far away. It's only our second point against the top six sides this season. I don't think Chelsea particularly played like a top six side, but you know much of that may have been down to Brentford and how we set up and how we were able to get at them. um They're clearly not the same side as they were in the first half of the season, but you know we we can only play what's in front of us. And I think if we improve even 10 to 20% the summer, think...
00:20:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
in the summer i think you can see it's there. And if we add more depth on the bench, particularly going forwards, if we do manage to improve by 10 or 20%, You can see some of those defeats this season turning into draws and you can see some games like this turning into victories. But that will do for today. Not a bad day out um in the afternoon sunshine. The end of the season is really getting close now.
00:20:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I suppose a decent point, all things considered in the end. But that will do for today. Thank you for listening to the Daily Brentford podcast. We hope you've enjoyed today's episode once again, and we'll be extremely grateful for your support. and This will enable us to go bigger and better moving forwards.
00:20:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Daily Brentford can be found on ex Instagram and TikTok under the handle at GSPNBrentford. So we'll be back later in the week where we'll be looking ahead to our next game, which is a visit to the Emirates Stadium to take on second place Arsenal.
00:21:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
Until then, from myself, thank you for being with me.