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Fabio Carvalho, meanwhile, is on the bench because he’s only just joined and there were good players already at the club, but he’s shown bits in training.
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Otherwise, Brentford were unlucky with injuries last season – previously they’d done a really good job of balancing hard training with reliable availability.
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Finally, Palace are well structured in their 3-4-3 and he needs he’s players to be brave and get in behind them; “Basically, I can’t wait”.
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Brentford (4-3-3-): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer,; Norgaard, Janelt, Jensen; Mbuemo, Wissa, Schade. Subs: Valdimarsson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Mee, Yarmolyuk, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Peart-Harris, Trevitt.
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Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Andersen, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell; Kamada, Eze; Mateta. Subs: Johnstone, Sarr, Lerma, Ayew, Schlupp, Clyne, Edouard, Doucoure, Riad.
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Referee: Sam Barrott (West Riding)
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There are games that have no bearing on events at either end of the Premier League – this is one – that you can be almost certain will reflect the best of the Premier League – and again, this is one.
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Brentford are a terrific team, aggressive, attitudinous and built in Thomas Frank’s image: they may win a game or they may lose a game, but either way their opponents will have to suffer. And that is not just because they are physical, though they are, it is because they are skilful, intelligent and nasty; they will be ready for this.
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Likewise Palace, who finished last season in fantastic form with Oliver Glasner’s impact immediate. And, though they’ve lost Michael Olise, they’ve hung on – so far – to Marc Guéhi and Eberechi Eze, while Ismaïla Sarr looks a smart purchase and Jean-Philippe Mateta is now an Olympic champion.
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Which is to say that a fast, intense contest looks guaranteed, two smart and progressive coaches sending their teams out to have at each other with those of us watching not a clue as to which will prevail. And it’s live!
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Kick-off: 2pm BST
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Main Events
And then they came! Ah, nothing beats the first weekend of the season and Brentford’s central ground is stunning.
Our players are stuck in the tunnel. Palace are wearing a black training top which is like a shirt with a zipper, quite strange.
I love Eberechi Eze. I remember a QPR season-ticket-holder friend of mine speaking glowingly about him a few years ago, in a way that nobody has done about anyone since Adel Taarabt, another great player. But Eze has the application, the tactical intelligence and the aesthetic sense. I’m still not entirely sure what kind of player he is, but I’d be happy with him in two or three positions. If he can develop into a box-to-box general, he’ll be great. If he’s an attacker, we need to work on increasing that number.
It occurred to me that in the 45 years I’ve lived in London I’ve never once heard anyone say, “I’m from Brentford” or “I’m on my way to Brentford”. This got us wondering if there was an actual place by that name and not just a football team, so in the name of sharing knowledge, we went and checked to see if it did exist.
In The Building, Glassner is portrayed as a kind but strict detective. Sky said Palace had a good week of training and were here to win the game, despite the difficulties of the summer international fixtures.
However, Mateta is in good shape after being rested and adjusted to be ready for the match and then continuing to score goals, while Guehi will start because he is a good player and character. He is not subject to transfer rumors, but Glasner hopes that window of opportunity closes with the start of the season.
This is a big season for Kevin Schaade. He settled in at the end and showed some potential which is good, but Brentford will be expecting more from him this season, especially with Toney leaving, so we can expect some decent performances from him and we know that playing under Frank the instructions will be clear.
Since you mentioned Wharton, let’s think about him. As I said at the Euros, I feel strongly that the best English midfield is him, Mainu and Bellingham, and I am even more convinced that he is the only player in the team who can properly fulfil the modern number six role. Palace will want to keep him, but I – and they – expect a big, big auction next summer.
So where is the game? Palace will look to Adam Wharton to dictate the ball and develop it from the back three – I really like Munoz playing down the right wing – and Eze and Kamada will be on the ball, attacking the space between Brentford’s midfield three and back four, while Mateta will push the defence back and try to create space to attack.
Meanwhile, Brentford will try to disrupt the central areas, with Schade and Mbuemo targeting the space behind the wing-backs and on the sides of the centre-backs, while Rothlev and Ajer move high and wide to send crosses through Wissa. Brentford will likely try to bypass the midfield and Palace will try to break through it.
Of course, Brentford’s record transfer signing Igor Thiago (signed in February) will be unavailable after injuring his meniscus in a friendly. Unfortunately, we probably won’t see him in 2024, but just imagine the enthusiasm he’ll have when he finally takes to the field.
What I like about Palace’s formation That’s how those elements can help each other. Eze and Kamada have free roles but can drop back into midfield to make the central two a three. The centre-backs can step up into midfield and play the same role. The full-backs can provide width in attack because the back four remains even if the midfielders go to the bench. And there’s room to create space on the wings or in the middle.
As for the palace, Mateta is back despite only being a week removed from last season and watching him recently reminded me a bit of Louis Saha, as they are both versatile centre-forwards who can spin in short, occupy two centre-backs and score any type of goal.
Behind him, Kamada Daichi will take Oliseh’s place (Sarr on the bench) and Guehi will take the left centre-back position despite Newcastle’s attempts to sign him.
I like Frank. It’s easy to see why the players love him. And if you look at his XI, he’s playing with a back four today. Brentford often play with a back three against better teams. Apart from Toney, the lineup is as expected. I think Carvalho is a really good player and I’m excited to see how he performs. Frank said we’ll probably see him in the second half of the game.
Ivan Toney ruled out amid growing transfer interest
Ah, here comes Thomas Frank, and he’s excited because a new season is here and the sun is shining. He was stunned by the interest in the transfer. Ivan Toney will not be playing – He found out about it on Friday but did not want to reveal anything and added that no moves are imminent.
Meanwhile, Fabio Carvalho has only just joined the team and is on the bench due to the presence of better players at the club, but he has shown some promise in training.
Meanwhile, Brentford were plagued by injuries last season but prior to that they had managed to strike a good balance between rigorous training and consistent appearances.
Finally, Palace are set up in a solid 3-4-3 formation and he wants his players to be brave enough to get behind them. “Basically, I can’t wait.”
I’ll write these down Then think about what they mean.
team!
Brentford (4-3-3): Flecken, Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ager, Norgaard, Janert, Jensen, Mbuemo, Wissa, Schade. subtitle: Valdimarsson, Carvalho, Onieka, Mee, Yarmolyuk, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Peart-Harris, Trevitt.
Crystal Palace (3-4-2-1): Henderson, Richards, Andersen, Guehi, Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell, Kamada, Eze, Mateta. subtitle: Johnston, Sarr, Lerma, Ayew, Schlupp, Klein, Edouard, Doucourt, and Riyad.
Judgment: Sam Barrot (West Riding)
preamble
There are games that have nothing to do with either Premier League fixture but will almost certainly reflect the best of the Premier League, and this is one of them.
“Brentford are a great team, attacking, spirited, a team worthy of Thomas Frank’s image. They may win the game or they may lose it, but either way their opponents will suffer. Not just because they are physically stronger, but because they are skilled, intelligent and nasty. They will be prepared for this game.
Palace are no different, finishing last season in fine form thanks to Oliver Glasner’s immediate impact, and although they have lost Michaël Oliseh, they have kept Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze so far, Ismaila Sarr looks a smart signing and Jean-Philippe Mateta is an Olympic champion.
So it’s set to be a fast and furious match, with two smart and progressive coaches putting their teams on the line and viewers never knowing who will win. And it’s live!
Kickoff: 2pm BST
