After a victory that opened the evening against Arsenal on the Premier League debut, Brentford got into the international spotlight.
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Football fans quickly became aware of their rise through the divisions, their obsession with statistics, their high-risk tactics that are so fun to watch.
Brentford beat Arsenal on Friday / Eddie Keogh / Getty Images
But what gets lost among all the front foot is that Brentford are also a decent defensive outfit, and their skill at both ends of the pitch will serve them well this season.
The Bees scored the least expected goals in the championship last year, based on their solid campaign 2020/21. The formidable duo of Pontus Jansson and Ethan Pinnock have welcomed Kristoffer Ajer in their threes, and he already looks comfortable and off the ball in the Premier League.
Brentford held Palace to a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park on Saturday, limiting their hosts to seven shots and never looked to risk letting in after Conor Gallagher hit the post after five minutes. From there, the bees played with confidence and stability, but lacked the creativity to break down the Eagles too much themselves.
The clichés about the Selhurst Park atmosphere are still true despite this new era that Patrick Vieira is at the forefront of – when full crowds return, south London will not be an easy place for teams to go, especially those who played in the championship last season.
But Brentford held on. At least they looked like they were Palace’s equals and had been for some time. Playing against a cool home crowd, as Thomas Frank so often does, is one thing, but standing up to one requires more.
When bees were always on the market, they were often branded as soft, but their first two top-level matches show that they have everything needed to turn that reputation around.
Raya was impressive on Saturday / Justin Setterfield / Getty Images
They play from the back as Mikel Arteta has long hoped that his Arsenal side can, stick to their principles and their confidence in the process never drops. David Raya may be shorter than most Premier League goalkeepers (and it will probably be used at some point), but his enormous kicking ability has helped Brentford out of some sticky situations. An eleventh outdoor player only contributes to the bodies that can play under intense pressure.
Patrick Vieira said this week that Brentford’s win over the Gunners did not surprise him, and it will therefore come as no surprise that they managed to get to Selhurst Park and squeeze Wilfried Zaha. The Bees will not buzz about a draw at the Palace, but it will stand them in good stead in the long run.
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