Match Report: Out of sorts City bend but don't break

[Olé]

There's something about Brentford away. We rarely play well and are always second best. Today was no exception. The hosts passed their way through City repeatedly while we lacked any cutting edge, so the Bees first goal was deserved, ours less so.

In the first half it was only Kasey Palmer who played with any purpose or direction, regularly carving through his opponents, only to squander our best chance before the break, while at the other end Baker cut out the hosts clearest opportunity.

Second half City switched to 4-4-2 and if anything Brentford dominated even more as space opened up on both wings. It took Bentley to keep City to just one goal down, and the visitors stole a last gasp away end "limbs" equaliser from Weimann.

It was City who showed first as a break by the visitors won a free kick and Brownhill's set piece was deflected into the keeper. In minutes City robbed the ball and Weimann fed Palmer on the left who cut inside and flashed a fierce shot wide of the far post.

But by now Brentford had settled and from a spell of pressure after the quarter hour an overhit right wing corner was quickly recovered by Canos on the left who easily beat Taylor Moore and then crossed for Jeanvier to force a save at close range.

A one sided game saw Brentford continue to dominate possession but after 25 there was a chance for wonderkid Massengo to drive from midfield against the run of play, the ball worked into the middle where star Palmer's back heel finish was blocked.

It would be a further ten minutes before City went close again, some neat work by the otherwise anonymous Semenyo fed a quick break but a dangerous cross from the right was claimed quickly by keeper Raya as the visitors flattered to decieve.

Just over five minutes from the break Brentford looked set to capitalise on their dominance as the dangerous Canos tore through the lines and straight into the centre of City’s box but Baker instinctively closed down and slid in to rob the midfielder.

And out of nowhere City’s best chance of the game, Brownhill winning possession on the edge of his own box from a corner, direct to Semenyo to feed Weimann out right, who crossed for Palmer in acres of space to finish - only to place it wide of the post.

City returned after half time in a 4-4-2 formation with Diedhiou replacing Semenyo up front and Eliasson introduced wide right at the expense of Moore at the back. Palmer almost threaded Diehiou in within minutes, but it was Brentford that rallied.

After a rare spell of City pressure, against his old club it was visitors keeper Bentley who had to save down low from Canos after the Bees midfielder found space on the break to lash a shot towards the far corner, the first in a series of one way traffic.

Ten minutes after the break Brentford bombarded City and while Bentley spilled the first shot from the right, Massengo headed away, only for the hosts to return with Norgaard’s dipping 20 yard shot tipped over by the overworked number one.

From the resulting corner Bentley was again called into action, brilliantly saving at the near post, allowing City to break, Palmer’s no-look pass feeding Massengo who danced past opponents, fed Eliasson, who crossed for Brownhill to glance wide.

After the hour a rare City foray promised much as Weimann did well to square to Palmer on the edge of the box, but this time the midfielder was muscled out, and on the break Josh Dasilva had room from the right to arrow a long range shot into the far corner. 

Now behind - and deservedly so - City, bouyed by the addition of O’Dowda for a largely neutralised Massengo, rarely threatened an equaliser even if their hosts started to sit back, giving sub Eliasson the odd chance to cut in and rain in crosses.

Yet with less than five minutes left the visitors levelled, in front of their banks of sold out fans. Brownhill again did well out of midfield and Eliasson made a run, leaving room for Hunt to swing a cross in for Weimann to head into the bottom corner.

Delerium in front of the massed ranks of travelling fans - thus far starved of acton - and improbably LJ’s men were back in a game they looked out of sorts in. And unsurprisingly for such a poor performance, the final minutes passed without incident.

So in the end City emerge as they have done for three consecutive seasons at Griffin Park - earning a result well in excess of what their performance deserved. And indeed to keep their form ticking over, unbeaten since the opening day of the season. 

 

Bentley 9 Against his old club a man to the match performance, overworked but commanding, stopped (almost) everything fired his way

Hunt 7 Another fine assist and for 60-70 minutes part of a wing-back pairing that was consistently strong, albeit became scrappy later on

Rowe 7 As with Hunt, had an hour or more of being organised, but final half hour exposed in a back 4 as Brentford made room to threaten

Williams 7 A few painfully wasted long balls in the final minutes but on the whole well organised and neat at the back

Baker 7 Several brilliant - and clattering - tackles, particularly to deny the irrepressible Canos, was physical and got stuck in, 

Moore 6 Beaten easily once, and yet again subbed off to move to 4-4-2 - did nothing particularly wrong but can’t hold his place

Massengo 6 By his own very high standards, a few flashes of brilliance were tempered by carelessness and easily being muscled out of the game

Brownhill 7 Anonymous in places but largely a driving force out of midfield, as he has continued to be since the captaincy

Palmer 8 Our best outfield player again by a mile… doesn’t always come off (badly missed Afobe today) but his strength and vision is unsurpassed

Weimann 6 Besides the goal he rarely got in the game as City’s frontline struggled to link up or impose itself on the game

Semenyo 5 A couple of classy touches can’t hide the fact that as at Preston, he is wasting these chances, waiting for the ball to come to him instead of getting stuck in

 

Diedhiou 5 A few bright touches in of all places midfield, but up front sorely lacked both pace, and strength or hunger to ever trouble the Brentford central defence

Eliasson 6 When fed and given room his crosses did cause the problems our team sorely lacked, and his presence gave Jack Hunt the space to cross for our equaliser

O’Dowda 5 Didn’t have much opportunity to do anything when he came on and was easily swarmed out of the game

[Major Isewater]

A good write up , again.

Yes we looked out of sorts and we all know the reasons why , young players , injuries, lacking a finisher etc but once again the boys kept in the game and refused to lie down . This is almost as important as the obvious skills they possess. 

I have not seen a match this season where  the team have not given it their all despite so many set backs. If we can keep in touch with the top six and bring in a ‘ finisher ‘ in January this could be our year. 

Bentley has been excellent so far , he has saved us on so many occasions and is looking like a top signing.

Hunt has got his form back this season and stuffed it right up those who criticised him. 

Baker is a ‘ no nonsense ‘ defender and has been very good since his return to regular first team football. My only problem is that, like last night , he had too much of the offensive ball and is not a creator , invariably hits it long and without accuracy or guile , the midfield needed to be available to take the pass .

Our attack misfired last night and, worryingly, Famara looked disinterested, may be the international call up was on his mind but it was a half hearted performance. The lad is under a lot of pressure this season to prove his worth, having gone from first name on the team sheet to the sidelines. 

Some  players looked jaded last night and I hope LJ has a plan for Reading in what will be a quick turnaround.

We need a high energy performance and a win to keep in or around the top six in this ultra competitive division.

Well done to the lads and the magnificent City support.

 

[189thoughts]

Great report. Whilst the draws are frustrating, they leave me with optimism for how good we will be when at full strength.

[robin_unreliant]

18 minutes ago, Neutral said:

Great report. Whilst the draws are frustrating, they leave me with optimism for how good we will be when at full strength.

I'm not sure I share that optimism. Where we are lacking is up front and Afobe won't be back this season. So even with all the other injured players back I think the strikers aren't good enough for Top 6.

Whether we have a plan for January we'll have to see. We need to change our approach from recent Jan windows if we are serious about competing for the play offs.

[189thoughts]

16 minutes ago, robin_unreliant said:

I'm not sure I share that optimism. Where we are lacking is up front and Afobe won't be back this season. So even with all the other injured players back I think the strikers aren't good enough for Top 6.

Whether we have a plan for January we'll have to see. We need to change our approach from recent Jan windows if we are serious about competing for the play offs.

Fair enough but remember we were in the top 6 last year without Afobe too. Think we have enough quality to stay around that area and then fingers crossed for January.

[old_eastender]

15 minutes ago, robin_unreliant said:

I'm not sure I share that optimism. Where we are lacking is up front and Afobe won't be back this season. So even with all the other injured players back I think the strikers aren't good enough for Top 6.

Whether we have a plan for January we'll have to see. We need to change our approach from recent Jan windows if we are serious about competing for the play offs.

Spot on. The loss of Afobe massive, much more so than missing Dasilva & Kalas. 

 

[bexhill reds]

Fair to say we got away with one last night. Apart from a few moments, Brentford bossed possession, although City didn’t allow them to create too many clear cut chances, mostly longer range efforts.

I think playing at Championship level is too early for Semenyo at present, whilst he has got something about him, I’m not sure he’s a sufficient enough threat at this level currently, certainly not as a starter. The minutes will do him good and he’ll learn.

Not sure what’s going on in Fam’s head right now, he looked massively disinterested when he came on, very little movement and offering little. I like him for his endeavour and when he’s in the mood he can be a handful, but last night was really a waste of a substitute, I’d have stuck Watkins on.

Still we are getting points and places we’ve traditionally not done well at so that has to be positive, plus I loved Jack Hunt sticking Canos into the stand..

[archie andrews]

In a nutshell....... Piss poor up top bar weimann

[mozo]

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but what an awful defensive lapse by Brentford for our goal!

Weimann stood free between two defenders. The man behind him has time to close the distance before the cross comes in, but doesn't. You've got to be tighter to your man when a crosser of the ball like Hunt swings one in. 

In a way, Brentford got what they deserved for not defending better in a crucial moment .

[italian dave]

Usual great summary @Olé 

No argument with any of those scores. Credit to Brentford though; played some good stuff: didn’t give us an inch to play in (Weimanns goal aside), when we had possession there were two players closing us down immediately every time. When they had the ball the player in possession always had two or three options. In many ways they played the way I think we aspire to. They just lacked finish, and to be fair I thought we defended well on the whole; organised unflustered. I’m going to miss us snatching undeserved points in the final minutes at Griffin Park!! 

[Kodjias Wrist]

Shame to hear about Semenyo's performance. Last season he was thrown in against Leeds and Derby (where he got sent off) both big games and wasn't up to it. This season his performances have been better but no where near a top Six forward.

Maybe he just needs more game time but if we can't provide the minutes then a loan in Jan to the end of the season with recall may be an option?

[mozo]

7 minutes ago, Kodjias Wrist said:

Shame to hear about Semenyo's performance. Last season he was thrown in against Leeds and Derby (where he got sent off) both big games and wasn't up to it. This season his performances have been better but no where near a top Six forward.

Maybe he just needs more game time but if we can't provide the minutes then a loan in Jan to the end of the season with recall may be an option?

I wouldn't go as far as to say he has been poor in any of his appearances so far, just not really impactful if that makes any sense?

You just keep wanting him to either be busy and tidy like Weimann, or to show regular moments of quality like Palmer, but at the moment he's a bit more Diedhiou, as in not bad but not looking a genuine handful for defenders.

[ChippenhamRed]

4 hours ago, Neutral said:

Fair enough but remember we were in the top 6 last year without Afobe too. Think we have enough quality to stay around that area and then fingers crossed for January.

Except ultimately we weren't, we finished 8th.  The question is, having lost Afobe, whether Massengo, Nagy, Moore and Bentley are enough of a difference to make us top six.  They are the only regular starters that are different compared to last year.  Plus you also have to consider that in Webster we've lost our best defender.

I felt confident of top six with Afobe in the team, I'm much less certain without him.

[ScottishRed]

Not seen much of him obviously but I don't think Semenyo is the answer - does not look like a natural finisher to me, so far.

He is young and inexperienced and hopefully will prove me totally wrong.

Famara looking 'disinterested' is a concern.

[Red-Robbo]

Nice report @Olé

My first away game for yonkers and a pretty dispiriting evening. I haven't looked at the match stats, but they must've had getting on for 2/3rd of possession, and threaded the ball through us pretty effortlessly at times.

Three draws on the bounce is not promotion form, but let's see what Saturday brings.

Benick's gone, but the phased return of some of the other excellent players we've lost to injury early this season may yet step us up a gear.

[exAtyeoMax]

13 hours ago, Olé said:

Semenyo 5 A couple of classy touches can’t hide the fact that as at Preston, he is wasting these chances, waiting for the ball to come to him instead of getting stuck in

My thoughts exactly, he needs to assert himself, let them know he's there. He does look a bit passive, and not getting stuck in. Perhaps he's got a bit scared after the sending off?

[bcfcnick]

I don't know the timeframe for a return to fitness, but it would be a bonus if Janneh is back in November. He looks a more natural goal scorer and better suited to LJ's pressing preferences than Semenyo.  They are both physically strong for their age but Janneh looks like he would fill the Afobe role and has the physicality in his game to compete with Diédhiou leading the line.  I'd like to see him given an opportunity if he gets fit above the option of getting an out of contract player in before January. 

It's a real pity Mo Eisa wasn't retained as he's an instinctive and clinical finisher that I reckon will score goals at Championship level. He needed a few games in the Championship to at least have been given a chance.  I guess he's just not the 'busy bee' type of front player that LJ likes.  

[RedM]

3 hours ago, ScottishRed said:

Not seen much of him obviously but I don't think Semenyo is the answer - does not look like a natural finisher to me, so far.

He is young and inexperienced and hopefully will prove me totally wrong.

Famara looking 'disinterested' is a concern.

Right now if an opposing team had a Diedhiou and Semenyo up front for them I wouldn’t fear them. Now that’s not great when they are our attack force. No doubt LJ had hoped Semenyo would be showing more as he wouldn’t have let Taylor go out on loan.  Of course he couldn’t have predicted the Afobe injury, but Taylor although not the answer, was at least experienced in finding a way to play the opposition. 

[mozo]

18 minutes ago, RedM said:

Right now if an opposing team had a Diedhiou and Semenyo up front for them I wouldn’t fear them. Now that’s not great when they are our attack force. No doubt LJ had hoped Semenyo would be showing more as he wouldn’t have let Taylor go out on loan.  Of course he couldn’t have predicted the Afobe injury, but Taylor although not the answer, was at least experienced in finding a way to play the opposition. 

Exactly.  We need our attack to be a handful, or lethal, or ideal world both. Neither at the moment. Just, sort of okay.

[Robin101]

4 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Nice report @Olé

My first away game for yonkers and a pretty dispiriting evening. I haven't looked at the match stats, but they must've had getting on for 2/3rd of possession, and threaded the ball through us pretty effortlessly at times.

Three draws on the bounce is not promotion form, but let's see what Saturday brings.

Benick's gone, but the phased return of some of the other excellent players we've lost to injury early this season may yet step us up a gear.

I’m not sure it was that dispiriting, and I don’t think they threaded the ball through us effortlessly. First half I don’t think they had a clear cut chance apart from Baker’s interception and that came from a deflected clearance I think. 
 

I don’t think we could have had many complaints if we’d lost, but likewise I’m not sure Brentford can feel that hard done by with a point. 

[JBFC II]

5 hours ago, Red-Robbo said:

Nice report @Olé

My first away game for yonkers and a pretty dispiriting evening. I haven't looked at the match stats, but they must've had getting on for 2/3rd of possession, and threaded the ball through us pretty effortlessly at times.

Three draws on the bounce is not promotion form, but let's see what Saturday brings.

Benick's gone, but the phased return of some of the other excellent players we've lost to injury early this season may yet step us up a gear.

3 draws at home to Swansea and away at Preston and Brentford aren’t to be sniffed at imo. 

Plenty of teams will come away from those three games with nothing

[ralphindevon]

2 hours ago, bcfcnick said:

I don't know the timeframe for a return to fitness, but it would be a bonus if Janneh is back in November. He looks a more natural goal scorer and better suited to LJ's pressing preferences than Semenyo.  They are both physically strong for their age but Janneh looks like he would fill the Afobe role and has the physicality in his game to compete with Diédhiou leading the line.  I'd like to see him given an opportunity if he gets fit above the option of getting an out of contract player in before January. 

It's a real pity Mo Eisa wasn't retained as he's an instinctive and clinical finisher that I reckon will score goals at Championship level. He needed a few games in the Championship to at least have been given a chance.  I guess he's just not the 'busy bee' type of front player that LJ likes.  

Janneh going to Torquay until at least January by the sounds of it 

[Red-Robbo]

48 minutes ago, Robin101 said:

I’m not sure it was that dispiriting, and I don’t think they threaded the ball through us effortlessly. First half I don’t think they had a clear cut chance apart from Baker’s interception and that came from a deflected clearance I think. 
 

I don’t think we could have had many complaints if we’d lost, but likewise I’m not sure Brentford can feel that hard done by with a point. 

No end result, but we were definitely outplayed. I was among home fans in the Braemar Rd Stand ("the paddock") and they all felt massively that the club had chucked away two points.

6 minutes ago, JBFC II said:

3 draws at home to Swansea and away at Preston and Brentford aren’t to be sniffed at imo. 

Plenty of teams will come away from those three games with nothing

I know, but we need to get back to taking 3 points if we want to sit well above those clubs.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, ralphindevon said:

Janneh going to Torquay until at least January by the sounds of it 

Intersting. Where did you hear this?

[JBFC II]

22 minutes ago, Red-Robbo said:

No end result, but we were definitely outplayed. I was among home fans in the Braemar Rd Stand ("the paddock") and they all felt massively that the club had chucked away two points.

I know, but we need to get back to taking 3 points if we want to sit well above those clubs.

I totally agree and Saturday will be a big test of where we are at. 

Reading aren’t a bad side but they are one we should be beating, especially at home, if we want a top 6 finish

[ralphindevon]

45 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

Intersting. Where did you hear this?

Lots of talk around here, South Devon, and also Gregor McGregor tweeted it

[ralphindevon]

Gregor's tweet

Understand that Saikou Janneh is not too far from returning from injury and that #BristolCity are planning on sending the forward on loan to Torquay United for some game time, with only a non-league move permissible until January. Logical move. #TUFC https://t.co/QGeEQpTCq4

[t_b]

2 hours ago, RedM said:

Right now if an opposing team had a Diedhiou and Semenyo up front for them I wouldn’t fear them. Now that’s not great when they are our attack force. No doubt LJ had hoped Semenyo would be showing more as he wouldn’t have let Taylor go out on loan.  Of course he couldn’t have predicted the Afobe injury, but Taylor although not the answer, was at least experienced in finding a way to play the opposition. 

Makes no difference. 

Semenyo would have continued on the bench as a minimum since he’s about our only fit home grown player at the moment. 
Who would LJ not have put on the bench last night to accommodate Taylor?

[CyderInACan]

Semenyo clearly not good enough yet if you ask me. 

[REDOXO]

Semenyo is who we have and he is getting game time. Yes he is not Benik Afobe but I think he is developing ok. He needs a goal but as LJ said himself he was involved in some good link up play at PNE. 

The fact is our forwards were unable to shine as they really didn’t see that much of the ball. It’s hard to be impressive in front of goal if the ball is not with you. 

The Palmer miss/save was crucial and would have changed a lot, but there we are, a decent enough save but KP had time to do a lot more than he did. That incidentally came from a lob from Weimann. 

I was told the other day that Afobe May be back before the seasons over as the op went well and the damage was less extensive than feared any ITKers heard anything new one way or the other?