The Brentford Saga

[Spitfire]

MATCH THIRTY-FIVE

The last time the two club had faced, Brentford have been on the receiving end of 5-1 thrashing at the Gtech so their was a level of anxiousness and tension for both the fans and players travelling up to Anfield, although having won their last two matches the team was in good spirits. Brentford had scored the most goals in the league, whilst Liverpool had the best defence which made for an interesting encounter. Brentford picked the exact same team as they did against Villa, with the only difference between Dasilva featuring on the bench instead of Norgaard.

Bench: Ramos [GK], Gallardo, Janelt, Onyeka, Boateng,Dasilva & Shade

| Liverpool 0-0 Brentford |
- Pinnock gets a yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Henderson. [29min]

- Pinnock get sa straight red for denying a goalscoring opportunity by Nunez (not even a second yellow).
Damsgaard comes off for Boateng, with the CAM position being sacrificed with a man down. [44min]

| Half Time 0-0 |
A close half between both team, but with Pinnock getting sent off Brentford now under much more pressure than before. Liverpool being more aggressive on the attack.

| Liverpool 0-1 Brentford |
- Henry runs down the wing, and manages to sent a beautiful arching cross into the box with Toney hitting it on the volley and catching Allison off guard by hitting it with the side of his foot for a delicate touch. [49min]

| Liverpool 1-1 Brentford |
- Henderson smashes a loose ball on the rebound from the keeper’s save after Robertson’s shot is saved by Raya. [57min]

- Mee gives a yellow card for a tough tackle on Salah. [62min]

- Henry off - Gallardo on | Hickey off - Onyeka on [ Rodriguez off - Janelt on [64min]

| Liverpool 2-1 Brentford |
- On the break Diogo Jota takes advantage of the missing man and smashes it past Raya, to put Liverpool ahead. [68min]

- Wissa off - Schade on [70min]

- Boateng get a straight red for a tackle on Jota stopping him going one on one, for Brentford’s second of the game. [73min]

| Liverpool 2-2 Brentford |
- Gallardo works forward and manages to dig a pass to Schade, who out of nowhere manages to leak a shot past Allison to somehow bring the scores level. [95min]

| Full Time Liverpool 2-2 Brentford |
Despite two red cards, Frank says that they both prevented goals that didn’t lead to any from either freekicks and as much as he doesn’t support the approach, Brentford dug deep and left with only nine men on the pitch, but a point to show for it.​

 

[Spitfire]

MATCH THIRTY-SIX

With three games left in the season, Brentford were now seven point clear of West Ham United who were the position below them, although the East London rival had a game in hand. As things stood the Bees were 6th in the table and look very likely of claiming a spot in the Europa League. The club would still mathematically finish in in the 'Top Four' as were only three points behind #5 Chelsea and four points behind #4 Tottenham Hotspur. The battle for the league title remaining closed, with Liverpool just three points behind leaders City but the Reds had a game in hand.

The last time Brentford had played league leaders Manchester City it had actually been close game, much closer than anyone had been expecting. The Bees had been ahead twice in the game in Manchester, only for Haaland crossing the ball to Silva to score a last minute for the team representing 'The Blue Moon'. Brentford retain their '45D' formation, but both Pinnock and Boateng would be unavailable due to the red cards they had picked up against Liverpool. Schade returns up front pairing with Toney, whilst Jensen who is rarely dropped give way to Norgaard who play alongside Rodriguez in Central Midfield.

Hickey would be rested with Mads Roerslev getting his first start for the club for a number of games. With the side needing cover at the back Tristan Crama would make his first start in the EPL, with the side needing cover in the back. It was an interesting scenario, because the young Frenchman was expected to be leaving the club at the end of the season as he as of yet hadn't had his contract renewed.

Bench: Ramos [GK], Hernandez, Jensen, Hickey, Bidstrup, Dasilva & Janelt

| Brentford 0-1 Manchester City |
- Haaland scores straight from kickoff and targets Crama, to show everyone why City are top of the league. [1min]

| Half Time 0-1 |
A sleepy start is quickly forgotten, with Brentford having a strong battle with City that if it wasn’t for the early goal the contest would be pretty even.

| Brentford 1-1 Manchester City |
- Toney finds Schade who drags the ball backwards to bait in Ederson, before dipping it over the keeper to level the score. It would also impressively enough be the young German talent's 15th goal of the season in the Premiership. [53min]

- Roerslev off - Hickey on | Damsgaard off - Dasilva on [65min]

| Brentford 1-2 Manchester City |
- Haaland pokes City ahead with a fantastic strike, after breaking the offside trap and smashing a goal past Raya. [67min]

- Schade off - Hernandez on [74min]

| Brentford 2-2 Manchester City |
- A long corner, sees Norgaard pass the ball back into the box on the other side and Toney smashes the ball into the back of the net on the edge of the six yard box, for his 25th goal of the season. [76min]

- Crama off - Janet on | Norgaard off - Jensen on [86min]

| Full Time Brentford 2-2 Manchester City |
Another great performance, with Brentford drawing against the title contenders two weeks in a row.

+ + + + +

Following the games Brentford manager Thomas Frank would comment that this second year in the Premiership had really shown the quality that his side were bringing to the league and that getting a draw against the title challengers at this point in the season was an impressive accomplishment. Frank would congratulate the team for having guaranteed their sixth place finish that meant that European football was now guaranteed next season. Frank would make it clear that next season, the squad was going to need more depth as the challenge of playing in the league, two domestic cup competition and a European cup was going to require a large and much more capable squad and as much as he liked to retain a core of a players - its was likely that some changes would be made to the starting XI next year.

The FA Cup would reach its conclusion with a clash between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanders at Wembley in what would prove to a close clash. The match would be an even contest, before Jude Bellingham would score the winner in a contest that would end 2-1 in Liverpool's favor. This would mean that going into the end of the season both Liverpool and Manchester City had a domestic cup each to their names.
​

 

[Spitfire]

MATCH THIRTY-SEVEN

A few weeks ago the clash between the Bees and the Hammers was being touted as potential battle for the final Europa League spot, but after impressive results Brentford had already scored 6th position and were now out of West Ham's reach. The last time the two sides had met had resulted in a 3-3, with Rico Henry having scored a late equalizer for the Bees. Brentford maintain the same line up in the middle and up front, with the pairing of Rodriguez & Norgaard wanting to be used for another match. Pinnock returns from his red card, and slot back into the starting line up. Hickey returns as RWB, but Gallardo replaces Henry on the opposite side. Henry not being selected did raise questions, considering he had been the man who had scored the leveler at the reverse fixture.

Bench: Ramos [GK], Hernandez, Jensen, Boateng, Dasilva, Wissa & Janelt

| Brentford 0-0 West Ham |
- Toney brought down by Ake in the area, with a penalty given and a yellow card. [43min]

| Brentford 1-0 West Ham |
- Toney scores the penalty by dinking it down the middle. [45min]

| Half Time 1-0 |
A close game between both teams, with the penalty proving to be the difference maker. Schade looks a little bit hurt and is replaced.
Schade off - Hernandez on

- Mee off - Boateng on | Damsgaard off - Dasilva on [63min]

- Norgaard off - Janelt on [81min]

| Brentford 2-0 West Ham |
Toney scores a great curling shot in the final minute of the great, with a peach of a goal. [94min]

| Full Time Brentford 2-0 West Ham |
A close game, but Ivan Toney is the big difference maker with two solid goals for the club.

+ + + + +

​

Position​	P​	W​	D​	L​	GF​	GA​	GD​	PTS​
17. Nottingham Forest​	37​	7​	11​	19​	41​	58​	-17​	32​
18. Fulham​	36​	5​	10​	21​	44​	73​	-29​	25​
19. Southampton​	37​	5​	8​	24​	42​	70​	–28​	23​
20. Bournemouth ​	37​	5​	6​	26​	26​	75​	-49​	21​

Fulham join Southampton and Bournemouth as the final team to be relegated from the game. Fans at the Gtech are heard singing "Bees Up Fulham Down" during the post-game celebrations.​

 

[Spitfire]

MATCH THIRTY-EIGHT

Brentford secured 6th in the table and will play 16th place Brighton. The last time both teams met, Brighton had run riot at the Gtech and had won 5-3 and had been the first team to get a victory over the Bees that had arguably been the starting point of their poor run during the second quarter of the reason. Jensen returns to side as well as Henry. Ghoddos and Crama feature on the their bench in what will be their last game for for the club if they play, with future loanees Gilbert and Trevitt also selected in the matchday squad.

Bench: Ramos [GK], Ghoddos, Crama, Gilbert & Trevitt, Hernandez & Onyeka

| Brighton 1-0 Brentford |
- On the break Brighton score and show that even with nothing to play for they are motivated with a great goal by Kudus to beat Raya. [8min]

| Brighton 1-1 Brentford |
- Damsgaard scores a superb goal to pull the trigger as he enters the area and scoots across the goalkeeper out of Sanchez’s reach. [28min]

| Half Time 1-1 |
An intense first half between two well match teams.
Schade off - Gilbert on | Damsgaard off - Trevitt on

- Ajer off - Crama on | Toney off - Ghoddos on [65min]

| Brighton 2-1 Brentford |
- Estupian scores a goal at the corner and the defender think he is offside, but its given and VAR rules it onside. [66min]

| Brighton 2-2 Brentford |
- Hickey breaks on the counter and slots a ball to Ghoddos for an easy tap into the goal. [79min]

- Norgaard off - Onyeka on [82min]

| Brighton 2-3 Brentford |
- Ghoddos and Gilbert break. With Saman being selfless and passing to Gilbert for the goal. [84min]

| Full Time Brighton 2-3 Brentford |
A great finish to the season, with Brentford have a stunning second season in the league.

+ + + + +

Ghoddos would thank the club for giving him a chance to play a final game for the club and getting a goal and an assist was a great way to end his Brentford career. Saman wouldn't rule out returning to the club if the opportunity ever presented itself.

The following players would return to the club after their loan spells had come to an end:

Sergio Giordano [BSC Young Boys]
Myles Peart-Harris [Forest Green Rovers]
Aaron Pressley [Accrington Stanley]
Halil Dervişoğlu [Burnley]
Paris Maghoma [MK Dons]
Lachlan Brooks [Crewe Alexandra]
Ellery Balcombe [Bristol Rovers]
Finn Stevens [Dusseldorf]
Mads Sorensen [Groningen]
Charlies Goode [Blackpool]
Tariqe Fosu [Rotherham United]
Keane Lewis-Potter [Aston Villa]
Matthew Cox [S.V. Zulte Waregem]

First Team Coach would comment that he was impressed with the reports had received from the club's own scouts as well as the clubs that a number of player had been based with over the season and that some player might find themselves involved in Thomas Frank's plans next season. He would comment that there was an element of honesty that needed to be given though, and that a few of the players in the squad would be likely moving on to green pastures over the summer period with Brentford really looking to anchor themselves as a top flight club.

+ + + + +

The Champions League final would end up being a battle of Madrid, with Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid having a truly tough encounter that would see the match go to penalties after the match ended 2-2 after extra time. It would be Atletico who would in the shootout 4-3 to win their first European trophy and reverse their fortune from the 2015/16 season where they had lost to Real in the final on penalties.

The Europe League Trophy would be contested between FC Porto and Ajax, with the Portuguese side having held the trophy side whilst the Dutch only having the honour once. The game would be close, but it would be FC Porto who would score late and it would be the only goal in a one goal victory to life the trophy for the third time.

The Europa Conference League was only in its second season, although many fans viewed it as being the historical carryon of the Cup Winners Cup that had last been contested for during the 1998/99 season. The second final would see FC Koln take on OGC Nice in a hard fought game with both sides building up a goal tally. It would be the German side nicknamed 'The Billy Goats' who would claim the trophy via a 3-2 victory to win their first ever European trophy, with their closest previous performance being runners up 1985/86 UEFA Cup.
​

 

[Spitfire]

Brentford's season had come to an end and there was one thing that was for certain. The club would not be suffering from second season syndrome with an impressive finish in the league that had not only secured their place in the nation's top division, but now meant they would be travelling aboard and competing in Europe next season.

​

Position​	P​	W​	D​	L​	GF​	GA​	GD​	PTS​
1. Man City​	38​	26​	9​	3​	82​	36​	46​	87​
2. Liverpool​	38​	26​	8​	5​	74​	30​	44​	86​
3. Tottenham Hotspur​	38​	22​	7​	9​	81​	49​	32​	73​
4. Chelsea​	38​	21​	9​	8​	71​	46​	25​	72​
5. Manchester United​	38​	21​	9​	8​	74​	50​	24​	72​
6. Brentford​	38​	17​	10​	9​	88​	71​	17​	67​
7. Aston Villa​	38​	17​	8​	13​	52​	46​	6​	59​

Finishing sixth in the league was impressive performance, although it was clear that despite the Bees being a goal scoring machine they also had a tendency to concede a large amount of goal. What made this stat more confusing was that David Raya had ended the season with 10+ clean sheets in the league.

The golden boot was won by Brentford's Ivan Toney who had scored an impressive 27 goals during the season, with his closest rivals being Haaland, Son and Salah with 25 each themselves.

Toney would speak that being the top goal scorer in the league was a great honour, but he fully intended on trying better himself next season and breaking into the 30 club. Ivan would also comment that Kevin Schade had equally impressed this year.

Schade who had started the season on loan with an option to buy, had found his purchase clause being used relatively early into his spell and had really impressed during his first season of the club with 15 goals in the EPL. It was not at all surprising that he had been awarded the club's young player of the year.

The team's Best XI of the season had been voted by the club's supporters and the line up wouldn't prove to be very surprising, along with the '45D' formation also being the most nominated option by fans. With a number of a free agents set to join the club, and potential transfer options to be made there was a wonder what the team would look like next season. One thing was for sure - it had never been a better time to be a Brentford fan.

[End Of Volume One]​

 

[Spitfire]

PART ONE

Brentford’s preseason would begin with a number of departures and arrivals as soon as the transfer window opened. Three Brentford players would leave the club to go out on loan and this would include Emil Linberg (60) Valenciennes FCl, Alex Gilbert (62) SV Darmstadt 98 & Massimo Martinelli (65) AIK. All three players would on paper join these clubs on a two year loan basis.

Saman Ghoddos would join Saudi side Al Shabab as a free agent, whilst Thomas Strakoshka would officially join Arsenal for a fee of £14m.

Arrivals would see the four free agents who would join the club at the conclusion of their contract with their former clubs with Charles Aranguiz (76), Stephan El Shaarawy (77), Teemu Pukki (74) and Adam Forshaw (73) arriving at the club.

Raya, Mee, Dasilva, Roerslev and Dervişoğlu would all have their contracts with the club renewed.

Young keeper Matthew Cox (64) was confirmed to be joining Italian Serie B side U.S. Cremonese on a two year basis. It was stated that Cox would actually be projected to become the official 2nd choice keeper in the next few seasons, and a potential starter dependent on his natural progression.

The club would be approached with two large transfer offers. Newcastle United would offer £27m for young Scottish RWB Aaron Hickey (78), but the club would reject the offer on the basis that Hickey was part of the club’s long term plans and they were not considering any offers for either of their first choice wingbacks.

Frankfurt offered £23.4m for Damsgaard (78 ). The young Dane had found himself playing second fiddle to Mexican Rodriguez for much of the season, but the club had been unwilling to let the player go. However, they would set a counter price of £29m which would surprisingly be accepted and it seemed that the club were going to be close to earning just under £30 million for a singular player which most certainly would be a club record. Youngster Lachlan Brooks (61) would also depart the club and join Austrian side SV Reid for £440k.

One position that Thomas Frank would show real interest in bolstering would be his CB, which was not surprising considering the club’s manager quite often built his teams with three priority defenders at the back and then a wingback on either flank. The club would end up signing Chris Smalling (83) from PSG for a fee of £11.91m on a three contract for £80k p/w + bonuses with Smalling seen as a great addition to the side and offering a real solid player to the back.

‘Frugal Frank’ would announce another free agent signing, although this one would rock the entire football community with the Argentinian legend Lionel Messi (90) announced to have joined the club on a two year contract on a wage of £79k p/w + bonuses. It would emerge the one of the GOATS of this current generation had been tempted by the unique managerial style of Thomas Frank and would also join a club without upsetting any of his former clubs, by choosing a club that was fresh out of the blocks and didn’t have a longstanding rivalry with other Europeans clubs.
​

 

[Spitfire]

PART TWO

Brentford were set to take part in a preseason tournament in Germany and were booked to take on three teams: Pisa (Italy), SV Werder Bremen (Germany) & Venezia (Italy). Thomas Frank would make it clear that the tour in Germany was a great opportunity for members of his squad to test their fitness and experiment with player combination, and would admit he had a master plan up his sleeve that he intended to reveal closer to the season’s start.
​

Game One 6-0​

Brentford would play a 4-3-3 formation for the game against Pisa Sporting Club and using the following formation:

GK: Ramos
DEF: Gallardo | Smalling | Sorensen | Roerslev
CDM: Forshaw | Aranguiz
CM: Janelt (c)
LW/RW: El Shaarawy | Messi
ST: Pukki

SUBS: Balcombe [GK], Dervisoglu, Lewis-Potter, Goode, Bidstrup, Dasilva & Schade

The side would feature six new signing in the starting line up that would wear the red and white stripes of Brentford for the first time. The Bees would score four goal in the first half with Dervişoğlu scoring the first and second for the club, with Janelt the third and Messi scoring a brilliant solo goal goal dribbling the ball from the ring and pulling of an impressive slalom like movement before scoring a great goal in tyle to close the half. The only setback would be new signing Pukki leaving the field after just ten minutes, but Dervişoğlu had filled the slot perfectly with a brace.

Subs off: Sorensen, Aranguiz, Ramos & El Shaarawy
Subs on: Goode, Bidstrup, Balcombe & Lewis-Potter

Lewis-Potter would score the fifth goal of the game in a much slower second half, before Messi and Janelt would leave the field and be replaced by Dasilva & Schade. The young German would score the last goal of the game with a stylish spinning backheel flick to round up a solid result and a 6-0 win for the Bees. The side would look well packaged, with Ramos and Balcombe both have an impressive half in goal and showing competition for the second choice keeper for the coming season.

Mads Bech Sørensen would have a noticeable solid performance at the back for Brentford and the young Danish defender would be confident in stating that he had been offered certain guarantees that he would be involved in the setup in one way or another and that he would be able to offer fresh options either from the bench or perhaps even start a few games if Thomas Frank thought it made sense. Mads would make the point that Brentford were a European side in only their third season in the EPL and so he was fully committed to whatever direction the coaching staff wanted to push him towards.

+ + + + +
​

Game Two 0-3​

Brentford would play the proven 5-2-1-2 formation, better known as the '45D' against SV Werder Bremen:

GK: Raya
CB: Pinnock | Mee (c) | Ajer
LWB/RWB: Henry | Hickey
CM: Jensen | Norgaard
CAM: Wissa
ST: Toney | Schade

SUBS: Ramos [GK], Hernandez, El Shaaraway, Janelt, Rodriguez, Onekya & Dasilva

Brentford would play the team that their fans were most familiar with, with apart from Wissa instead of Rodriguez, they were starting their Best XI from the 2022/23 season. The match would be an intense encounter and the first half would see both sides show real promise, but they would cancel each other out in a very competitive manner with the half ending goalless at the half.

Subs off: Toney, Schade, Wissa, Jensen, Pinnock & Norgaard
Subs on: Hernandez, El Shaarawy, Rodriguez, Janelt, Onyeka & Dasilva

Rodriguez who had started off the bench would score the first goal of the game with a thunderous right footed strike. El Shaarawy would claim the second after a brilliant pass from Josh Dasilva, before Rodriguez would finish off the match with a second after getting a perfect pass from fellow Mexican Hernandez for a tap in goal.

Josh Dasilva would comment that easy options for his career would see him playing in the Championship and starting each and every week, but the real challenge was being part of the Premier League team's squad and knowing that an appearance off the bench could be the difference between winning and losing the game that he would continue to be committed to the mission that was Brentford Football Club. Dasilva would welcome the new crop of players, and that would admit that although it created more competition for places - there was a quality that Thomas Frank was raising and it was evident that not everyone was going to make the grade at the start of the season.

+ + + + +
​

Game Three 0-3​

Brentford would play a 5-3-2 formation, with a focus of a CDM in an anchor position against Venezia FC. The selection would also see Chris Smalling handed the captain's armband, which could either be a purely experimental move or a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.

GK: Ramos
CB: Boateng | Pinnock | Smalling (c)
LWB/RWB: Gallardo | Stevens
CDM: Bidstrup
CM: Rodriguez | Jensen
ST: Lewis-Potter | Messi

Bench: Balcombe [GK], Roerslev, Norgaard, Dervişoğlu, Schade, Janelt & Dasilva

The first half would an even contest with both sides scoring two apiece. Messi would scoring an amazing goal early for Brentford's first which would be a delicately curled shot that would impress all in attendance. The celebration would be short lived with Rednan beating the offside trap to level the score at 1-1. Jensen would push the Bees ahead only for Venezia to score a second just before the end of the half. There was a noticeable comparison in equality between Ramos and the team's

Subs off: Lewis-Potter, Messi, Jensen, Ramos & Stevens
Subs on: Dervişoğlu, Schade, Norgaard, Balcombe & Roerslev

Dervişoğlu would score a winning goal for the Bees, with the Young Turkish talent having really shown promise since returning on loan from Burnley after having a very beneficial spell in the Championship last season.

Subs off: Rodriguez & Bidstrup
Subs on: Dasilva & Janelt

The game would end with Brentford closing off the Italian strike force, to secure the victory and round off their preseason in Germany with three wins and had only conceded a total of two goals which was an impressive performance and accomplishment for the defence to have going into the new season.

Halil Dervişoğlu would state that he had no intention of going out on loan again a fifth time and that either he ended up being part of Frank's plan this season or would be heading for the exit. Halil would argue the point that Schade had been offered a chance to shine last season and felt that if he was given the same platform to shine then he too could become a staple member of this Brentford side. ​

 

[Spitfire]

PART THREE

Thomas Frank would announce his intentions for the 2023/24 season and that some people may disagree with his strategical approach, but he intended on introducing a two squad system into place that would on a paper seem very rigid and inflexible. However, Frank would make the point that he had full belief in this strategy and he had the backing of his coaching staff moving into the season.

Frank would expand that he would utilise two different starting teams, the Premiership XI and the Euro Cup XI. One would be focused on a team solely focused on the English Premier League, whilst the other would remain more focused on the Europa League as well as the domestic cup competitions. Frank would make the point clear that his starting eleven would be open to change, but that he felt maintaining the same starting team was the best for overall team chemistry.

Frank would then focuses on the Substitutes and the rest of the squad and would make a comparison to Special Teams used in American Football. He would make the point that the replacements would filter between both teams and in many ways would be getting just as much time on the pitch as the starters for both set of starters. He would go on to make the point that for this style of play to work, a certain level of trimming was going to need to happen that unlike previous season those deemed as Reserves would be unlikely to get much playing time unless injuries forced his hand. It was noted that David Raya would feature in both squad and this was unlikely to change anytime soon, as he was the best goalkeeping option the club had at the moment.

As part of the announced Frank would announce that the club had purchased Kieran Tripper RB (84) from Newcastle for a fee of £26.7m (£71k p/w + bonuses) and that he had been brought in to add a level of quality needed on the right side of defence and that even though Roerslev had impressed him recently he needed a guarantee starter, rather than someone who was a good cover options.

EPL XI

Frank would announce that the EPL XI would use the 5-2-1-2 formation (better known as the '45D') which had proved the be the most successful pattern used by Brentford last season. Ben Mee would anchor the Brentford defence and be given the captain's armband where he would be joined by Boateng and new signing Chris Smalling to complete the back three. Henry and Hickey would be continue to offer wingback options for the side, with it being clear that the five defender package was a critical part of Brentford's success in Premier League.

Jensen would maintain his position in central midfield, whilst Janelt would find himself elevated to a started and play alongside the young Dane. New signing Messi would take on the position of CAM, and would really offer Brentford strong options in attack. Ivan Toney last season's top goal scorer in the league would be partnered by Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, with it having been announced that this would be the final year the Mexican would be playing before retiring at the end of the season.

EURO CUP XI

The Euro Cup Squad would use a 4-4-3 Defend formation, that Frank would refer to as the 'ER1'. The formation would see Pinnock and Ajer hold positions in the middle of the defence, whilst new signing Trippier would play as RB and Gallardo would take on the LB position. Frank would admit that Gallardo has been approach by Norwich and his release clause had been triggered, but that he was fully committed to the young Mexican being part of his Euro Cup squad and so had increased his wage from £27.5k p/w to £55k p/w and felt that over the next few seasons more and more squad players would be earning a wage matching the club's success.

Norgaard would take on the role as captain and play alongside Aranguiz in the CDM role, with Rodriguez playing in central midfield. El Shaarawy and Wissa would move up the field and become attacking wingers (with comparison clearly present between the usage of Henry/Hickey in the EPL Squad), whilst young German striker Kevin Schade would take on the role as the XI's sole striker.

Frank would explain that the squad would be subject to change, but these changes would be announced publicly and there would be complete transparency in his approach this season with the two squad system. Would then talk, that if players weren’t seen as good enough to be part of the sub system, they would either go out on loan, be sold or released by the club. And that is what likely other players would be signed to be part of the team’s rotation system. The player either assigned as Substitute or Reserves going into the season would also be announced.

BENCH TEAM
GK: Ramos
DEF: Goode | Sorensen,
MID: Dasilva | Bidstrup | Onyeka | Forshaw
FOR: Dervişoğlu | Pukki | Fosu | Lewis-Potter

RESERVES
Balcombe | Trevitt | Peart-Harris | Stevens | Maghoma,

As part of this shake up it was confirmed that Aaron Pressley who had originally been assigned to be part of the Reserves had been sold to Austrian side Wolfsberger AC for a fee of £940k and that it was very possible that offer member of the reserves could find themselves leaving the club via loan or transfer before the end of the transfer window. A point would me made that even members of the Bench Team weren't guaranteed their slots and the club was still actively searching to add other addition to the overall squad. ​

 

[Spitfire]

MATCH ONE

The first game of Brentford's third season in the English Premier League would begin with a home game at the Gtech Community Stadium where they would take on Nottingham Forest who last season had finished just above the relegation spot in 17th position. Their final placement was irrelevant now, as a brand new season offered both teams a fresh slate with nothing apart from the result on the field holding any relevance in this new 2023/24 season.

It would be commented that with players like Schade, Rodriguez, Wissa, Pinnock, Ajer, El Shaarawy, Trippier and Norgaard were not even included in the match quad and although it showed Frank's commitment to his new two starting XI strategy, a number of critics would comment that this created a potential weaker bench with the risk not needed considering it would be a number of week before the Bees would have either a domestic up or European fixture. The bench would see the inclusion of Sorensen, Dervişoğlu and Lewis-Potter with all three having spent portions of last season on loan, as well as the inclusion of new signing Adam Forshaw who was officially starting his second spell with the club.

Forshaw would talk that he had left Brentford over ten years ago and it had never been a negative departure and had always been grateful for the club putting his career on track after the ending of his time with Everton was a youth and then academy graduate. Adam would comment that the three years in League One with the best had been massively instrumental in his overall development and was now very much looking forward to wearing the red and white stripes and playing for his third Premiership team of his career.

Lionel Messi would also share this thoughts ahead of what would be his debut for the club and would admit if he had been asked a year ago it would have been unlikely he would have even been able to tell you which city Brentford were from. However, he was in the latter stages of his career and being part of this team with its very unique '2 Squad' strategy was also a very exciting prospect and he hoped he could be part of a team that perhaps would be capable of finishing in the top four and that perhaps he would have one last chance to playing in the Champions League before his career drew to a conclusion.

Bench: Ramos [GK], Sorensen, Forshaw, Onyeka, Dasilva, Dervisoglu & Lewis-Potter

| Brentford 1-0 Nottingham Forest |
- Brentford would start the game with a solid defence that would allow them to draw in as many Forest players as possible before breaking on the counter attack. Ivan Toney would charge forward and blast the ball past Forest Keeper Horvath to his score his first goal of the season and give Brentford the lead. [26min]

- Taiwo Awoniyi would leave the field injury after the clash with Smalling after just half an hour and with him being one of Nottingham's better players this took a little bit of the pressure off Brentford. [33min]

- Messi comes close to scoring his first official goal for the club, just wide of the post. [37min]

| Half Time 1-0 |
Brentford had more chances in the game, but it was noted that Brentford’s defence has been strong with Chris Smalling showing himself as a real leader at the back and really bringing to the team exactly what he was signed for, a solid anchor. Hernandez looked a bit shy on the ball that led to him being replaced by Dervişoğlu - who had really impressed since returning from his loan spell with Burnley.
Hernandez off - Dervişoğlu on

| Brentford 2-0 Nottingham Forest |
- Dervişoğlu could have easily scored, but instead shows selflessness and passes to Hickey who runs in from the wing to score into an open net unchallenged with the GK drawn to the young Turkish star. [55min]

- Boateng off - Sorensen on (first game for Mads Sorensen in the EPL for over a season). [59min]

- Messi met with applause as he leaves the field after an impressive debut.
Messi off - Lewis-Potter

- Forshaw comes on the pitch to mark his official second spell with the club.
Jensen off - Forshaw on [73min]

| Brentford 3-0 Nottingham Forest |
- Toney slots a through ball to Dervişoğlu, who runs at the keeper to draw him in only to pause, takes his time and blasts home a well hit shot for his first of his EPL career. [92min]

| Full Time Brentford 3-0 Nottingham Forest |
Hickey would really impress and earn himself the Man of the Match Award (8.5 rating), with Janelt also being noted as looking really impressive as a starter when he had spent a large majority of last season coming off the bench. The German talent look very strong and controlled the middle channel well for the Bees. Mads Sorensen and Dervişoğlu had also looked very strong off the bench, with Halil potentially already putting pressure on Hernandez's slot as an EPL XI starter after just one game played in the league.

Thomas Frank would also share with the media that not every member of his squad was best pleased with his scheme of two seperate squads, but that everyone just needed time to get used to what he was bringing to the table. When asked about his Bench Team selection, he would make the point that it was important to the test the capabilities of his strategy sooner rather than later and his approach had clearly paid off. Frank would state that once the club was playing two games in one week, the players would be thanking him not over playing them and allowing them to bring their best versions to the pitch for each and every match they were selected for.

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Young Italian striker Sergio Giordano (68) be announced to have joined Spezia on loan for the rest of the season. It would be commented that Sergio would likely benefit by spending time closer to home, whist progressing himself and building himself towards becoming a future starter for the club in the years to come.

It would be confirmed that Tariqe Fosu would be departing the club and had joined Burnley for a fee of £1.5m. Fosu's departure would seem to suggest that the even though he had been included as a member of the Bench Team that perhaps the club had there eyes on a few extra signing that they were looking to bolster the rest of the squad.

Jack Butland (82) who at one point had been considered as a future England #1 goalkeeper would be signed as a free agent after being released by Crystal Palace and would be picked up on a 3 year contract for 18k p/w + bonuses. Butland's signing would seem to suggest that either Ellery Balcombe would go out on loan for the seventh time since being signed by the club or that he could be on the verge of departing. With Ellery not having been included in the original Bench Team, many expected it was the latter.
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[Spitfire]

MATCH TWO

Sheffield United were set to play their first game at Bramall Lane in the Premiership for the first time in three years, with the Blades earning their promotion after winning the Championship Playoff Final and would be the first time that the two clubs had faced each other since spring 2019. Dervişoğlu, Lewis-Potter, Onyeka and Forshaw would all be cycled out of the Bench Team. In their place, Schade, Bidstrup and Roerslev would be added to the bench.

Kieran Trippier would be the final inclusion on the bench and although he had been assigned to be part of the Euro Cup XI for the season - it would be confirmed that the club wanted to give Trippier a chance to debut for the club and that it was very likely he would come off the bench at some point during fixture. Trippier would make a comment that he was fully committed to the '2 Squad System' and was very much looking forward to his first season with the club.

Bench: Ramos [GK], Sorensen, Trippier, Dasilva, Schade, Bidstrup & Roerslev

| Sheffield United 0-1 Brentford |
- Some great passing allows time for Jensen to comes charging deep into the box and is setup with a pass from Hernandez, to catch the keeper reaching in the wrong direction and put Brentford ahead with a well placed strike. [15min]

- Ben Mee gets a yellow card for a tough tackle on a United attacker and watching back the replays it is clear that the side's captain could very easily have been sent off. [27min]

| Sheffield United 0-2 Brentford |
- On the counter Hernandez draw in the keeper and shot for the gap at the near post to double the lead. [32min]

- Raya tested late in the half, but pushes the ball away with a great save. [45+1min]

| Half Time 0-2 |
Blades showing a lot more potential than might of been predicted. Mee’s yellow card results in the skipper being replaced, with it plainly obvious the club were anxious of going down to ten men.
Mee off - Sorensen on

- Messi off - Dasilva on | Henry off - Trippier on (makes his debut for the club). [61min]

- Solod defence by Brentford prevents what looked like a certain goal for the Blades.
Hernandez off - Schade on | Boateng off - Bidstrup on [79min]

| Sheffield United 0-3 Brentford |
- Schade breaks with full sprint on the counter attack after the corner, to find Toney with a pass for an easy finish with the keeper outnumbered. Schade looks in really great form, and incredible pace and question looms perhaps he and Toney would be best suited in the EPL squad together. [82min]

| Sheffield United 0-4 Brentford |
- Dasilva passes to Toney, who just charges with rapid pace forward to switch to his other foot and blast the ball with his right foot around the keeper. [88min]

| Full Time Sheffield United 0-4 Brentford |
Brentford continue winning ways, and having score 7 and conceded 0 in two games. Frank stay true the belief in his system that, although Schade inclusion raises question considering the German is assigned to be part of the Euro Squad. Thomas Frank clarifies that although Schade is a proven goal machine and his pairing with Toney last season was phenomenal, the club very much has their focuses on multiple competitions and not just winning one. However, Frank would make a point that he believed in dynamic changes and that he had no idea what his formation board would look like in a couple of weeks time, let alone a couple of months.

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The club would announce two signing following the game. The first would be signing Swiss CAM Xherdan Shaqiri (76) who Brentford would purchase from MLS side Chicago Fire for £5.5m. The Serbian born Swiss National had played for major club in England, France, Germany and Italy and really offered the team a lot of experience and his addition to the Bench Team offered a number of benefits. The other signing would see Stuart Dallas (75) (who like Forshaw had previously played for Brentford a number of years ago). Dallas who was known mostly for playing as CM, but how RM/B capabilities would leave Leeds for a fee of £3.8m. The acquisitions would suggest that the club was fully committed to Frank's strategy with both player arriving to offer supporting roles to both starting XIs.

Brentford's group opponents in the Europa League would be confirmed:

- Sevilla [Spain] were the toughest opponents in the draw with the side having won the Europa League six times already and were clearly vying for a seventh.

- Malmo FF [Sweden] who were twenty-two time Swedish League Champions, with their best performance in European being runners up in the European Cup Final in 1978/79 in which they lost to Forest.

- FC Midtjylland who were three time Danish League Champions though offered the most interesting clash, with Brentford owner Matthew Benham having been a previous shareholder in the club and at one point both team had used a shared talent pool system. This in many ways would create two poetic meeting between the club that already shared history as friends and now would clash as rivals for the first time on the global stage.​

 

[Spitfire]

MATCH THREE

The last time the two clubs met had been an exhilarating clash at Old Trafford, in which United had been winning 2-0 only to end up losing 4-2 to Brentford. Without question the Brentford team had massively improved with the likes of Messi and Smalling both part of the starting lineup. New signings Dallas and Shaqiri would be included on the bench as would Wissa who had yet to play a single minute this season and was perhaps getting himself some gametime ahead of the Euro Cup Squad starting to play on a more frequent basis.

Ahead of the clash Smalling would make it clear that as much as he had loved played for Man United, during his time with Roma the losing to United in the Europa League Semi-finals was always going to haunt him especially that they had lost 8-5 to his former side. Smalling would be very open about his desire to have a much better performance against the Red Devils and that conceding eight goals over two games was not the last defensive memories he wanted to have against United.

Bench: Ramos [GK], Sorensen, Forshaw, Dallas, Shaqiri, Dervisoglu & Wissa

| Brentford 1-0 Manchester United |
- Some tight short passes allows Messi to get the ball and shoots in front of goal to put Brentford ahead, with the goal being the Argentinian's first goal for the club. 16min]

| Brentford 2-0 Manchester United |
- Hernandez drills a low shot past De Gea to increase the Bees lead and the team look great with the ball. [42min]

| Half Time 2-0 |
Brentford strong start continues to be impressive, with the club showing a really strong spirit. Despite the goal, Messi looks fatigued and is replaced by debutant Shaqiri. Boateng also looks like he is struggling with fitness and is replaced by Sorensen.
Messi off - Shaqiri on | Boateng off - Sorensen on

| Brentford 2-1 Manchester United |
- Rabiot thunders a shot that is saved by Raya, but Schick gets to the rebound first to head in a cheap goal after a great save. [48min]

| Brentford 3-1 Manchester United
- Toney separates from the defenders at the back, and has no markers as he receives the cross to whip in an easy shot that leaves De Gea flapping at thin air. [62min]

- Hernandez off - Dervisoglu on | Henry off - Dallas on (Dallas play for the Bees for the first time since 2015). [65min]

- Janelt off - Forshaw on (Forshaw drops to LWB - with Dallas move up to CM). [75min]

| Brentford 4-1 Manchester United |
- Dervişoğlu had his first shot saved, but the ball land back at his feet to poach an easy shot into a now open goal. [94min]

| Full Time Brentford 4-1 Manchester United |
Brentford’s EPL XI continuing to look strong in the league - although some issues are already being raised around certain player’s fitness levels. Frank suggests that he still has his eyes on a number of players and if things go well will bring another player in the club's setup before the transfer window closes.

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Stuart Dallas would talk about how much he had enjoyed the start of the second stint with the club and had been pleased there was no bad blood between him and the fans and that misunderstandings in the past had been purely banter and had been intended to be seen as hurtful or divisive in any way. Dallas would comment that with Forshaw being another play her knew quite well also being involved in the setup there was an extra layer of familiarity that had made the transition even easier. Dallas would accept that their was a rivalry in place between Leeds and Brentford and that a later point this season he was no doubt going to be on the receiving end and get an earful from the Yorkshire based club. ​

 

[Spitfire]

Aaron Hickey would continue to be one of Brentford most sought out players with a Tottenham Hotspur attempting to sign the Scotsman for a staggering £28.2m fee. Spurs would be somewhat surprised though as Brentford would reject the offer and make a bold statement that Hickey would not be leaving the club at anytime soon and they were not taking offers for him or any of their starters at this point in the season. Hickey wouldn't be the only defender targeted, with an offer of £19.1m for Ajer from Fiorentina also being rejected. It was fair in stating that these were the sort of offers a few years ago, that Brentford simply would not have been able to turn down.

It seemed that Finn Stevens was another young player in the clubs setup that would be leaving at some point during the season. Offers from both Philadelphia Union and Inter Miami would both be accepted, although Stevens not be able to come to an agreement with the Philly based club. A deal with Miami was still on the table, but an agreement couldn't be reached before the transfer window closed. It still seemed as though Stevens would be departing the club in January, but with at least four month still with the Bees there was potential that he might find himself being utilised on a couple of occasions.

Turkish side Adana Demirspor would make an offer of £1.05m for Charlie Goode which the club would accept that would result in the peripheral squad player departing the club with Goode having struggling to become a first team main stay for most of his time with the club.

Brentford would approach Borussia Mönchengladbach and have an offer of £11m accepted to buy Japanese CB Ko Itakura (77), with a deal agreed on deadline day for a three year contract for £37k p/w + bonuses. The signing of an additional CB, would suggest that there was certainly going to be competition in defence for the Bees with speculation suggesting that more senior defender Boateng might find his starting position being directly challenging, although it could just as be easily be true that Itakura would be a member of the Bench Team.

The club would confirm their full squad for the season including squad numbers and that squad assignment would be confirmed on the club's website.​

Goalkeepers​	Defenders​	Midfielders​	Forwards ​	Players on Loan (11)​
#1 D. Raya (79) #31 E. Balcombe (62) #34 C. Ramos (74) #44 J. Butland (72)​	#2 A. Hickey (79) #3 R. Henry (78) #4 C. Smalling (82) #5 E. Pinnock (76) #13 J. Boateng (74) #16 B. Mee (74) #18 J. Gallardo (76) #20 K. Ajer (78) #26 K. Itakura (77) #28 M. Roerslev (71) #29 M. Sorensen (70) #30 K. Trippier (84) #37 F. Stevens (66) R​	#6 C. Nørgaard (77) #7 C. Rodriguez (77) #8 M. Jensen (76) #10 J. Dasilva (75) #14 C. Aranguiz (75) #15 F. Oneyka (75) #22 M. Bidstrup (74) #24 A. Forshaw (73) #25. S. Dallas (75) #27 V. Janelt (74) #35 R. Trevitt (61) R #36 P. Maghoma (64) #39 Peart-Harris (65) #40 X. Shaqiri (76)​	#9 L. Messi (89) #11. Y. Wissa (76) #12. El Shaarawy (77) #17 I. Toney (79) #19 T. Pukki (73) #21 K. Schade (72) #23 Lewis-Potter (74) #32. J. Hernandez (74) #33. H. Dervisoglu (72) ​	L. Romo (76) - Borussia Dortmund S. Baptiste (72) - Angers SCO S. Giordano (68) - Spezia Yarmoliuk (66) - Cagliari M. Martinelli (65) - AIK Young-Coombes (65) - Alanyaspor M. Cox (64) - Cremonese D. Oyegoke (62) - Cosenza D. Olsson (62) - Cercle Brugge A. Gilbert (62) - SV Darmstadt 98 E. Linberg (60) - Valenciennes​

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