Chelsea head to Brentford in West London derby
By Karl Matchett
It’s not the cash-laden west Londoners, though, who come into this fixture unbeaten this term – that would instead be their hosts, Brentford, the…slightly more west of London side.
£100m on a single or a squad?
Morgan Rogers was a headline-grabbing transfer this summer of course and he has started in typically excellent fashion to justify his signing, if not the fee (can any player warrant £117m in a few months?!). But Brentford opted to spread around a similar amount, landing the likes of Malick Diouf, Jannik Schuster, Jaidon Anthony and Mamadou Sangaré for around a combined £110m. Chuck in a free Callum Wilson and each zone of the team has had a new addition, though it’s Sangaré who has started like a seasoned veteran of the Premier League, slotting in brilliantly to add ball-carrying, ball-winning and line-breaking distribution to the Bees’ midfield. No eyebrows whatsoever will be raised if Champions League sides come calling for the 24-year-old next summer, when his asking price has already doubled.
Brilliance versus balance
There’s no doubting that Alonso’s side look far more dangerous going forward already. There’s purpose, cutting edge and quality link-up between key players – but he hasn’t quite got it right at the other end of the pitch. Defensive errors, gaps between the lines and a soft centre for teams to run through have all been an issue, though the presence of the impressive Maxence Lacroix should help there over time. For now, though, runners from deep are a real issue – which is exactly what Sangaré is bringing for Brentford.
Recent form
One win and three draws in the league for the hosts, while Brentford have also seen off Birmingham and Reading to reach the EFL Cup fourth round. Their opening day 3-0 win over Spurs remains their best result of the campaign. Chelsea have been more erratic, winning four of six but losing to Arsenal and drawing with newcomers Hull on home soil.
Team news
No Nathan Collins or Sepp van den Berg for Brentford, with Mathias Jensen sidelined too in another big loss.
Chelsea are likely to be without Moisés Caicedo from their first XI, while mystery surrounds João Pedro who pulled out of the Brazil squad for next week but “no one is ruled out” for this game, according to Alonso. Jordan Henderson could make his debut against his former side and Reece James should return after missing training.
Key player
The Cole Palmer-Morgan Rogers attacking axis has been impressive already, but we’ll give the latter the nod as the key to the game with his all-round approach: in 350 league minutes he already has 3 goals from 11 shots, has created 10 chances, won 21 duels and had the same number of touches in the attacking penalty box.
Prediction
There could be goals for both sides in this game and perhaps a fourth draw in five so far for the Bees: Brentford 2-2 Chelsea.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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