Brentford manager Thomas Frank will wonder how his side didn’t score at least three times here but then will remember that the striker who was so influential last season wasn’t on the pitch or, in fact, anywhere near it.
Neil Maupay, who scored 25 goals in the Championship last season, didn’t play any part in pre-season and his days at Griffin Park are numbered. The 22-year-old French striker is expected to join Brighton – the club he turned down two years ago to sign for Brentford – in a deal worth about £20million before the summer transfer window closes on Thursday.
Losing a player of Maupay’s calibre will be hard to take, particularly when they are beaten by the narrowest of margins, such was the case against Birmingham on Saturday.
Kristian Pedersen’s headed goal in the first half was enough to separate the sides and leave the home supporters bitterly frustrated.
There was so much hope and expectation before this opening fixture – the last time the west London club will kick off a campaign at Griffin Park before moving to their new 17,250-capacity home, less than a mile away at Kew Bridge.
Frank wants Brentford to be competitive while playing attractive football that not only looks good but also hurts teams.
Josh Dasilva and Mathias Jensen, who joined from Celta Vigo for £3million, will be tasked with supplying Brentford’s attacking line this season. Both can pick a pass, which was proven early in the first half when Dasilva clipped a ball to the left side for Rico Henry to run onto before he ran into traffic. Jensen then found Emiliano Marcondes in a similar position but the Danish midfielder couldn’t get past Maxime Colin.
Dasilva’s next contribution was to play a central pass into the feet of Sergi Canos. Canos, whose trickery and craft makes him stand out, cleverly played in striker Ollie Watkins. Watkins spun round to get a sight at the Birmingham goal, struck a left-footed effort that beat goalkeeper Lee Camp, but cannoned off the upright.
Camp was well beaten just as he would be again a few seconds later when Marcondes rattled the crossbar with a powerful right-footed shot from 10 yards.
Much of Brentford’s success comes from the wings where Henry and Henrik Dalsgaard charge up and down the left and right flanks. Dalsgaard received the ball early and blistered past Birmingham’s Steve Seddon but neither Canos or Marcondes could move quickly enough to meet his cross.
It had been an impressive opening 15 minutes from Brentford. No goals but they were threatening and appearing fairly comfortable in defence.
That was until Birmingham were awarded a free-kick. Seddon’s delivery was dangerous but Brentford’s defence should have done better to pick up Pederson as the defender headed past David Raya after being left unmarked.
It was a sloppy goal and a lack of concentration has to be blamed. But this is, after all, a Brentford defence – particularly the three who form the central defensive trio – that is relatively new in its style and formation.
Jansson, now Brentford’s captain after leaving Leeds, stands in the middle of Ethan Pinnock and Julian Jeanvier. They stopped Lukas Jutkiewicz and Jacques Maghoma from having much of an influence on the game. Certainly nowhere near the influence Watkins and Marcondes were having down the other end.
Marcondes was getting particular joy playing behind Watkins. Marcondes got a clear run at goal but his shot, headed to the bottom corner, was superbly pushed away by Camp.
Birmingham were struggling to stop Brentwood getting into attacking positions and Dasilva was the next to get a shot away. Struck right-footed, it beat Camp, but not the goalkeeper’s right post.
There was a desperate attempt for a penalty in the second half when Jeanvier went down after being blocked off by Gary Gardner.
Marcus Forss was sent on by Frank but wasn’t able to find a way to outsmart Pedersen or Roberts. Forss, similar to Watkins, just doesn’t have the physical presence that Maupay does. And when this division is often about bullying defenders out of the way, there has to be a concern that a Brentford team without Maupay is one that will struggle to push on.
Not that Birmingham and interim head coach Pep Clotet will mind. A club in turmoil over the summer, this will have helped settle them and provides a foundation on which to build on.
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