A Month of Losing

February 9th 2022, Manchester City vs Brentford

Fresh on the back of a humiliation at the hands of Frank Lampard’s new Everton team Brentford stayed up in the north west for their next match against the runaway league leaders Manchester City. Brentford came into the match having not won in the league since beating Aston Villa on the 2nd January and having not managed to win in any competition since beating Port Vale of league 2 in the FA Cup 3rd round on January 8th. Between that 4-1 demolition of Port Vale and this match against Manchester City, Brentford had played 5 games across the Premier League and FA Cup losing every single one and not managing to score twice in any of them.

This abysmal form for the Bees has seen them slip to 14th in the league table and every team below them in the table at kick-off had at least one game in hand over them. They also had not beaten today’s opponents since a match on Christmas day in 1937, granted they haven’t played each other much since then but 85 years is still a long time to go without a win against a single opponent. The only positive omen for the Bees heading into this match was that they had not lost 5 league matches in a row since December 2007, when they were on their way to a mid-table finish in League 2, sandwiched between Bury and Lincoln City.

Their opponents for this midweek evening game were Manchester City, who lead the Premier League by 9 points at kick-off and had not lost in all competitions since being beaten 2-1 away at RB Leipzig on the 7th December. To find City’s last loss in the league you would have to go all the way back to the 30th October when they were defeated 2-0 at home by Crystal Palace. They had prevailed in every domestic match since, including defeating the Bees 1-0 in the reverse match at the Brentford Community Stadium, and this incredible run of form appears to have set them on a path to another simple stroll to the league title.

This was a match pitting the runaway league leaders against a newly promoted team in dreadful form and in freefall in the league table so there was only one winner looking likely. As such I made my way to this match with no expectations of a good result, after all only a fool would bet on the visitors winning this on, but I still made my way to the match looking forward to it. I had always wanted to visit the Etihad and having visited the Academy stadium across the road for a WSL match now I had the chance to visit the real thing in the Premier League. It was a dream come true and at least the journey was simple, just a direct train into Manchester Piccadilly and then a tram out towards Ashton-Under-Lyme and off at the Etihad campus stop and through the excessive barrier system out of the stop.

I got talking to another Bees fan on the tram and we got chatting about the team’s recent form and their prospects for the rest of the season. His knowledge was a pleasure to imbibe, though our conclusions were less enjoyable as we both agreed that the current form was grim and unless something changed soon the Bee’s chances of staying up were very slim indeed. Our conversation continued as we walked round half of the stadium and only came to an end as we reached the barriers set out for the arrival of the coaches in-front of the main entrance to the Colin Bell stand. My tram companion decided not to stick around to see the home team arrive, but I could not miss the chance to see Pep Guardiola and his team of millionaires greet the fans as they arrived for the match. The only player I really wanted to see was Kevin DeBruyne, a world-class player whose skills would grace any pitch the world over.

DeBruyne and the rest of his teammates emerged from the two coaches that stopped just out of my view, whilst Pep and the coaching team had been on the second coach and thus stepped down mere metres from where I was standing. It was a surreal feeling to see the man who had transformed City from also-rans into the most feared club in domestic competitions that close to me, probably within touching distance though I did not try to find out. The stewards on the spiral ramps either side of the entrance would have had an excellent view of both players and managers as they disappeared into the bowels of the stadium.

This view may have made up for the elongated wait for the coaches to arrive. The announcer filled the gap by putting on a quiz for a couple of young fans, with the prize of an upgrade to hospitality for the match. The questions were on both the hosts and the visitors and even I learnt something, the names of the Brentford mascots. Whilst this was going on I snuck away to buy a programme for the match and I managed to sneak back to the barriers just in time for the arrival of the coaches.

There was a surprise waiting for me on the squad lists just inside the back cover of the programme, Benjamin Mendy’s name is still listed on there. Granted there is an asterisk linked to a footnote at the bottom stating that he is currently suspended, but given that he is currently under arrest on rape charges it feels wrong seeing his name on the programme at all.

Once I had seen the coaches arrive I decided to head straight inside and this was a very good call. The security you have to pass through to get to the turnstiles is belt and braces, just guards with sniffer dogs and a strict no bags at all rule. You can bring bags too the stadium, but you can’t take them inside. City are good enough to provide secure bag drops outside the security line for you to leave your bags at, but I didn’t trust these arrangements and so travelled to the match without my trusty backpack.

The turnstiles themselves are wide and easy to get through, but once you’re through prepare for a work out if you’re on the upper levels. There are no lifts to the Level 3 in the away area and whilst not exhausting on the Newcastle scale it was still a decent work-out that shows just where you are at fitness wise. When you get to the top of those stairs the huge food kiosk just to your right comes in very handy indeed. Less handy are the screens on the concourse which were showing a pop concert that had previously been staged at the stadium rather than anything remotely useful or football related.

With the screens being of no help whatsoever I decided to look online for the matchday squads and when I did I was in for a shock. Ivan Toney was nowhere to be seen for Brentford. The official line being that he was unavailable due to a calf knock picked up against Everton but given his performance in that game I would not be surprised if he had simply been dropped. In better news for the Bees, Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa were able to return to the bench after missing the Everton humiliation due to positive tests.

Despite these returnees Brentford still had to name 2 keepers on their bench to fill it out as their squad gets stretched wafer thin as we approach the crucial part of the season. For their part City only had 1 notable absentee from their squad with Gabriel Jesus rested for this match. Other than that it was a full strength City team that lined up against the newly promoted visitors with Sterling, Mahrez, Foden and DeBruyne all on from the start.

Having worked out the squads without the screens and bought a drink from the kiosk I headed into my seat and I’m glad I went in early. The view from the seat was both incredible and ass-clenchingly frightening for me as I’m not the best with heights. It wasn’t as high up as my seat at St. James’ Park for sure, but the stand was far steeper so if I slipped at all the trip downwards would be a lot more destructive. With this in mind I was glad to have the time to adjust to the view and there was no way I was looking over the bar 2 seats to my right.

There was no denying the stunning view I had of the pitch though and of the rest of the stadium too. The Etihad is vacuous beyond words and the sight-lines for every supporter are incredible, but the tannoy was far too quiet to fill the space before the announcing of the teams. So I thought that I would be relying on the huge screens behind each goal for the final announcement of the starting-11’s, just incase anything had changed in the warm-up. I was right on this for the Bee’s starting-11 and substitutes, which the announcer sped through as though he was driving on a motorway and needed to get home to stop his house burning down. For the City squad things were taken at a far more civilised speed.

The show that was made of the hosts starting-11 was a little much though. First there was a few smoke machines going off around the pitch perimeter. Then the light show started and as the tannoy was turned up by a factor of 50 the names of each of the player’s names was lit up around the centre circle with their shirt number accompanying this. The final touch was a row of huge flags with each of the starting player’s names and numbers on them being waved along along the touchline opposite the dugouts. I understand that this was all done to enhance the experience for the home fans, but as an away fan it really did feel like they were trying too hard.

This was the last act before kick-off and at this point I would have bitten your hand off for a draw but 10 seconds in Brentford came milliseconds away from taking the lead. A weak backpass left Ederson under huge pressure in the City goal and he was only just able to clear in time to scramble the ball away from the onrushing Samman Ghoddos.

Having survived that early scare City created their first chance of the match in the third minute as they find Raheem Sterling in space on the right. He cut inside Frank Onyeka and had a clear shot on goal with just David Raya to beat in the Brentford goal, so he shot right down the keeper’s throat and made it as easy as possible for Raya to save which he did with ease. City had another chance a minute late though as a mistake in the Bee’s defence gifted the ball to City in the box and it took the best of Raya to get down and keep the ball out with his legs.

The hosts had their next chance in the 5th minute as they had the Bee’s goal under early siege, this time they managed a diving header just past the right-hand post. It was the closest that City had come to taking the lead so early in the match. Brentford had their first attack a minute later as a delicious 40 yard crossfield ball from Raya set Sergi Canos running free down the left hand side, but he slipped as he attempted to turn inside and find support to help continue the attack and City were able to clear the ball.

The game had started at breakneck speed and it continued this way in the 8th minute as City created another attack through Sterling, he then fell over under the slightest of contact and, with his reputation preceding him a little, the ref waved away his protests. This incident annoyed the fans behind me so much that I heard them mutter that “you could blow him over with a feather”. I wish I could disagree with them.

Whatever his faults Sterling had been the most active and threatening player for the hosts so far and he was at it again in the 10th minute. A quick freekick caught the visitors off guard and set him free down the left channel. His cut back was just too close to the Bee’s centre backs and it got cleared just in time to stop the onrushing City midfielders from connecting with it.

City were running the show in midfield and choking the life out of Brentford at this point in the match and it had clearly had an effect on Thomas Frank as he was waving his arms like a madman on the touchline, doing anything he could to inspire his team to get back into the match. It was great to see this passion in a manager and it did appear to have the desired effect as the Bees managed to break upfield from a City corner in the 14th minute. They got the ball running in space on the left and had three players in space in the centre waiting for the cross that they would tap home into the net for a lead that they had done nothing to deserve. The cross that came in was not one to be tapped home as it was way too close to Ederson in the City goal, who pouches it without having to move at all.

City then regained control of the match and moved the ball into space on the right side of the box with no Bees defenders within 5 yards. They delay the shot long enough for the visitors to recover and get back in place in time to deflect the ball behind for a corner. The corner came to nothing, but the amount of space City were finding in the box was scary. It was only the 20th minute and City were already finding ways to cut the visiting defence to shreds.

Brentford were only able to create chances on the break at this point and they managed it in the 23rd minute. They tried to beat the keeper with a 20 yard dipping fizzer and they almost succeeded. Ederson had to scramble to adjust his feet and get in position to palm the ball over the bar. This incredible last second save was rendered moot seconds later as the linesman threw up an extremely late flag. It did at least keep Ederson on his toes though and show City that, despite their dominance the visitors were not going to roll over and gift City the win.

In the 29th minute City came inches away from taking the lead their dominance deserved. A teasing cross into the corridor of uncertainty snuck past 2 despairing Bees lunges and just needed the slightest touch in the centre, but no-one manages to connect. The ball bounced out to Joao Cancelo 12 yards out who smashed the ball over the bar with his first-time effort. City came right back on the attack in the 32nd minute as intricate play in midfield fed the ball to Kevin DeBruyne on the right side of the box. Before he could unleash a word-class shot Pontus Jansson got back and nipped the ball off his toes.

City were not letting up though and, just a minute later, a ball over the top found Raheem Sterling 7 yards out in the centre of the box with no defenders anywhere nearby and just the keeper to beat. Somehow he contrived to balloon the ball miles over the bar from this distance. It was a satisfying miss for me as an away fan, but City were getting closer and there would only be so many let-offs for the Bees before the hosts made one of their chances count. They would give Brentford at least one more let-off though and this one came in minute 35. A city freekick was threaded through to Aymeric Laporte 10 yards from goal and his shot on the turn was lashed just wide of the right hand post.

The visitors finally managed to fashion another chance of their own in the 37th minute as they grabbed the ball in midfield and allowed Mathias Jensen to unleash a shot from 25 yards out. It deflected through to Ederson, or it would have done if the defenders had been paying attention. They weren’t and instead tapped it behind from inches in front of his waiting arms. Brentford wasted the corner as has become their tradition in recent games.

City finally got the goal their control of the match so far deserved in the 40th minute, but they decided not to try and get it from open play. Sterling received the ball on the left hand side of the area and when Mads Roerslev slid in and took the ball off him, he proceeded to fall over and roll around. The ref saw this as a clear indication that he had been fouled and gave the hosts a penalty. Riyad Mahrez stepped up to slide the ball down low to the keeper’s right to put City 1-0 up and on the path to yet another league win. These penalty moments elicited the only cheers from the home fans all half.

Bees went up the other end and had 2 chances in 2 minutes before the end of the regulation 45. A cross from the left was headed out to 25yards by the host’s defence where Onyeka was waiting to flash it inches wide of the left post for their first chance. The second came down the other side as a cross into the box from the right was poked towards goal from point blank range only to be blocked away by Ederson, who then got back to his feet in time to grab the ball off the feet of the waiting strikers.

In the added minutes Sterling had a gilt-edged chance to double the host’s lead from 6yards out and instead of shooting he went to tap the ball past the keeper and then attempt to fall over his outstretched arms as he went for the ball. When Sterling realised that the keeper was not going to give him that opportunity he cut back inside to the penalty spot and saw his shot blocked by a recovering Brentford defender.

This was the last action of the half that City won 1-0 and as such I headed for halftime in a pretty dreadful mood. The long queue at half-time actually improved my mood as I still managed to get the last available pie, which tasted great, and whilst queueing I was able to have a long chat with an extremely knowledgeable fellow Bees fan from Hammersmith called Abigail. She was less pleased once we got to the kiosk though as she was vegan and they had nothing more substantial than a packet of crisps to offer her for sustenance.

Feeling lovely as I returned to my seat my mood then soured again as I saw that neither side had made any half-time substitutions. With the hosts so clearly on top throughout the first half I was amazed that Thomas Frank had decided to leave things as they were instead of bringing on reinforcements to try and change the direction of the match.

With no changes at half time it only took 5 minutes for City to create their first chance of the half as Laporte let fly from 30 yards out on the left-hand side of the pitch and it skimmed over the bar by inches. Then City created an even better chance in the 55th minute. The first of those chances saw Cancelo waltz past the entire defence with consummate ease then whip a shot across the keeper from just inside the left angle of the area. Raya got down to his left just in-time to save and keep the game at just 1-0 to City.

It took until the hour mark for Brentford to create a chance of their own in the second half. A looping cross from the left got slid back in to the penalty spot, once it had been collected on the right. The shot was powerful enough, but was also straight down Ederson’s throat and never looked like being the equaliser that Brentford badly needed to get themselves back into the match. This was enough to finally shake Thomas Frank from his slumber on the touchline as, two minutes later, he removed Canos and Ghoddos from the fray and replaced him with 2 of the best attacking players in the Bee’s squad, Byran Mbuemo and Josh DaSilva.

This change almost paid dividends as the Bee’s had a great chance to equalise on the break in the 64th minute. An awesome 40 yard ball up-field left Mbuemo in behind the host’s defence and running free with only Ederson to beat. That is till the City defence re-organised and forced him to cut inside before he could find the space to take a shot on goal and with this opportunity Kevin De-Bruyne was able to rush back and nip the ball off Mbuemo’s toes as he is shaping to shoot. This was too much like Brentford getting back into it for Guardiola’s liking and it pushed him to dip into his expensive bench resources. He pulled Jack Grealish from the pack and sent him on as fresh legs in attack to replace the goal-scorer Mahrez.

At this point it was only 1-0 to City and there had even been signs of Brentford getting a foothold in the match, so this was of-course the time City doubled their lead and it came from a dreadful mistake from Raya in the Bee’s goal. In the 69th minute he messed up a goal-kick and it ended up being passed straight to Sterling yards from goal and completely unmarked. Luckily it was Sterling and he proceeded to slam his shot into the keeper’s legs from point blank range. Unfortunately, the ball rebounded out to the feet of Kevin DeBruyne, whose killer instinct is far more refined, and he stroked the ball back where it came from until it nestled in the back of the net. That was 2-0 to City and the game was basically finished off as a contest. To say I was apoplectic at Raya at this point would be the greatest understatement of any of my blogs so far.

With this 2-0 buffer over their visitors now established Guardiola was able to substitute the attacking threat of Phil Foden and replace him with the steel in midfield of Ikay Gundogan to help City retain possession and ensure they didn’t give their visitors and easy way back into the match. In the 79th minute Brentford break from the back, just as a City player nearby went down and the ref then gave the hosts a freekick. From which the hosts were able to engineer a chance to shot from just outside the box that Raya had to get down to his right very quickly to palm it behind.

The visitors then created 2 chances in 2 minutes in the early minutes of the last 10. In the 82nd minute Rico Henry got in down the right and his cross into the box was blocked by the hand of City captain Ruben Dias. Perhaps his hand was in a natural position, I can’t remember now. Whatever the case it was only a corner that got given and the resultant shot from the left was deflected behind and the second corner amounted to nothing at all. The second chance came from an attempted assist by Raya than got headed down to Mbuemo on the edge of the box, but he fluffed his shot and it was far too simple for City to clear.

At this point City took total control of the ball and proceeded to just knock it about between themselves as the remainder of the 90minutes ebbed slowly away. The home fans decided not to wait for the inevitable final whistle to put a seal on their victory as they started trickling towards the exits in the 86th minute and by the 90th it had become a tidal wave. It seems when you get used to seeing your team win every match it gets far too boring as the home stands were almost fully deserted when the board went up for 3 added minutes.

Brentford created one final chance for a consolation goal in those added minutes. Rico Henry surged forward on the left and slipped an inviting cross across the 6yard box that Mbuemo came millimetres away from tapping home. The ball back across from the other side landed to the feet of Frank Onyeka who smashed it into the keeper’s body from point blank range, that sent the ball cannoning away from the box.

That was the final chance before the ref whistled for full-time and a 2-0 win to City. The only good news for the visitors was that this performance was a vast improvement on their humiliation by Everton at the weekend.

One the downside for the visitors, this loss brings up a month of losing for Brentford and without an improvement in results they will struggle to avoid relegation at the end of the season. It would be a huge disappointment for a season that started with a 2-0 home win over Arsenal to end with relegation and the improved performance in this match gives them hope of a turnaround.

The home stands were a wasteland seconds after the final whistle blew as the home fans are so used to seeing their team win that they didn’t feel the need to stick around to celebrate the victory with their team. If only all supporters were so lucky.

My next blog sees me return to Manchester and to the Manchester City complex, but I switch my attention back to the Academy Stadium for the Manchester derby in the WSL.