Is Thiago becoming 'impossible to ignore' for Brazil?published at 10:56 GMT
10:56 GMT
Chris Wise Final Score reporter at Gtech Community Stadium
Image source, Getty Images
Is Igor Thiago timing his run of form perfectly before a World Cup year?
There are multiple players who will feel that the fabled number nine shirt in the Brazil national team is within their reach, and Brentford's striker is certainly one of them.
Two more goals against Burnley at the weekend - a calm penalty, and an explosive short-range finish, has taken his tally to 11 Premier League goals before the month of November is out.
It's impossible for any nation to ignore that sort of record, particularly when it's happening in the globe's strongest league.
Igor Thiago just comes alive in the penalty area. In truth, he hadn't hugely influenced the game before his goals on Saturday. But for the Bees to have a player who can swing a game in an instant is such an asset.
Everyone thought that the Brentford story this season would be one of trying to deal with the absence of Wissa and Mbeumo.
But Igor Thiago's goals have meant that's a conversation has barely needed to be broached since August.
Brentford 3-1 Burnley: What Andrews saidpublished at 18:29 GMT 29 November
18:29 GMT 29 November
Media caption,
Brentford's Andrews reacts to victory against Burnley
Brentford manager Keith Andrews speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It's the resilience and character of the group. It was always going to be a difficult game. I was convinced with that. It was going to take a level of patience to break them down, and we did that."
On Igor Thiago's form: "He has been magnificent. He was quiet in the first half. It was down to us too, not giving him enough service, and the opposition was denying him the space and opportunity. But I felt he could impose himself a little more in the game, and he did exactly that in the second half."
On the season so far: "It's about building the character of the team, the resilience, and constantly progressing as the team."
Did you know?
Igor Thiago scored his 10th and 11th Premier League goals of the season, the earliest in terms of matches (13) a Brentford player has reached double figures in a single campaign in the competition.
Brentford have won three consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since December 2024 (5 in a row), netting three goals in each match.
Brentford shine again at home to climb up table published at 18:04 GMT 29 November
18:04 GMT 29 November
Adwaidh Rajan BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Last weekend's 2-1 defeat by Brighton after spurning an early lead summed up a recurring problem for Brentford.
Keith Andrews' side had dropped 11 points from winning positions this Premier League season - more than any other team.
This contest against a struggling Burnley at the Gtech Community Stadium, where they have managed four of their five wins, was a perfect chance to set things right.
But after the Clarets equalised soon after Igor Thiago's 81st-minute opener from the penalty, it felt like the story was about to repeat for the Bees.
However, a second from Thiago that took his goals tally to 11 for the season and another from Dango Ouattara in the added time seal the 3-1 win at the end of a game in which they dominated possession and chances.
Andrews' side registered 14 attempts of which four were on target to generate an expected goals (xG) of 2.75, compared to Burnley's two on target from six attempts.
The result means Brentford have now won five games at home - with only Manchester City winning more home games (six) - and scored15 times on home soil - only City (19) and Arsenal (16) having scored more.
With a trip to the Emirates Stadium to face the league leaders coming up next, the confidence-boosting win could not have come at a better moment for the buzzing Bees.
Brentford v Burnley: Team newspublished at 14:04 GMT 29 November
14:04 GMT 29 November
Brentford boss Keith Andrews has made two changes to his side from the 2-1 defeat by Brighton last weekend.
Aaron Hickey comes in as left-back while midfielder Mathias Jensen makes his first league start since August as Kristoffer Ajer and Yehor Yarmoliuk drop to the bench.
Brentford XI: Kelleher, Hickey, Van den Berg, Henderson, Schade, Jensen, Ouattara, Collins, Damsgaard, Kayode, Thiago.
Burnley manager Scott Parker also makes two changes from the 2-0 defeat by Chelsea. Lyle Foster and Hannibal Mejbri start for the Clarets as Lesley Ugochukwu and Jaidon Anthony drop to the bench.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Bournemouth" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Newcastle", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Brentford v Burnleypublished at 12:00 GMT 29 November
12:00 GMT 29 November
Brentford were a penalty-kick away from getting a point at Brighton last week, but Igor Thiago had his injury-time effort saved.
Bees boss Keith Andrews took the biscuit a bit afterwards, saying Thiago missed it because he had to wait too long to take it. I mean, come on Keith, you are better than that!
I'm not saying it's ideal to have to wait to take a penalty like that, but it is part of football now.
Brentford's results have been decent at home, with four wins out of six so far, and they should win this too, but it might be closer than people expect.
I am finding Burnley difficult to predict because I don't think they have been as bad as their form suggests.
Wolves [10 defeats] are the only team to have lost more games than the Clarets [eight] so far, but I still feel like Scott Parker's side have been competitive.
Burnley have got some fight, spirit and organisation. Their biggest problem, though, is that they struggle to score.
I was going to say Brentford will win 1-0, but then I found out they have scored an average of two goals a game at home, so let's go for them to maintain that.
Brentford v Burnley: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:16 GMT 28 November
19:16 GMT 28 November
Jordan Butler BBC Sport journalist
Brentford welcome Burnley to London this weekend with both sides seeking to push up the table. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes surrounding Saturday's fixture (15:00 GMT).
Bees buzzing at home
The Bees head into this weekend in the relative comfort of mid-table – five points clear of the relegation zone and five points below the top four.
Two defeats from their past three league outings doesn't look great on paper, but both losses came away from home and they only failed to snatch a point at Brighton last Saturday because top scorer Igor Thiago's 94th-minute penalty was saved with the Bees trailing 2-1.
The Brazilian scored his ninth top-flight goal of the season from the spot earlier in that match and only Erling Haaland, with 14, has more in the division. Thiago is vying to reach the 10-goal mark after just 13 matches this weekend and would become the quickest Brentford player to reach double figures in the division, beating Ivan Toney's previous record of 15 games set in 2022-23.
Thirteen of their 16 points have been accrued at the Gtech Community Stadium and their only home defeat this season was a 1-0 reverse to Manchester City. Only a handful of teams, including Pep Guardiola's side and league leaders Arsenal, have a better record on home soil in this campaign.
Statistics suggest that the Bees' home form could improve further still as they have triumphed in their past 10 Premier League home games against promoted clubs, scoring at least twice in each of those victories.
Clarets on the slide
Burnley sat above Brentford on goal difference after five games of this Premier League season but the gap between the teams is now six places and six points.
Scott Parker's side have slipped back into the relegation places after a hat-trick of defeats and they could suffer four losses in a row for the first time since between February and March 2024 under Vincent Kompany.
The Clarets rarely troubled the Chelsea goal last weekend and attempted only eight shots in their 2-0 home defeat. They have mustered a total of 98 shots in 12 games this term and are the only side to attempt fewer than 100 efforts at goal.
Their current ratio of 8.2 shots per game is the lowest on record in a Premier League campaign since Opta started recording that data in 1997-98 and history tells us that a season normally ends with relegation for teams who struggle to generate shooting opportunities.
Is Flemming the antidote?
Dutch forward Zian Flemming has attempted to shoulder the scoring responsibility in recent weeks despite Burnley's lack of creativity and although he didn't find the net in his previous outing he does have three goals from his past four starts.
Each of Flemming's strikes this season have come away from home and 12 of his 15 league goals for Burnley have been scored on the road. No player with 15 or more goals since the start of last season in England's top four divisions has scored a higher percentage in away matches.
Burnley have won six of their last eight league and cup games against their opponents this weekend (L2), although each of their three away triumphs in that run came at Brentford's old ground Griffin Park. By contrast, their two Premier League visits to the new stadium have resulted in defeats without scoring.
Andrews on Damsgaard's form, Thiago's Brazil chances and Burnleypublished at 16:17 GMT 28 November
16:17 GMT 28 November
Nat Hayward BBC Sport journalist
Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Burnley at Gtech Community Stadium (15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Andrews confirmed Fabio Carvalho had an operation on his ACL injury on Thursday which "went well" and the club will "support him in his rehabilitation process".
In terms of injuries, he added: "Apart from that, we're in a very good place".
Reflecting on five months in charge of the Bees, Andrews said: "I'm enjoying it. I feel this club and group has so much potential. I really enjoy the day-to-day and how we work. There's just so much more in what we can do and how we go about it. The players and staff have been amazing since I've taken over."
On Mikkel Damsgaard: "When you look at Dams, it's too simplistic to look at goals, assists and final-third work. In some of the performances, he's had to play on the right of a three-man midfield and had to do the vast majority of work without the ball. I'd like to think we're growing as a group all the time and can improve what we do with the ball, and how we can hurt the opposition."
More on Damsgaard: "When it comes to that, I've got very few concerns about when we can get Dams into the game and be an attacking force with the ball at his feet. I don't see many better."
Andrews believes Igor Thiago can attract the attention of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti: "He's a joy to coach and be around. He savours every second he's on the grass and in the games he's a real competitor. There's been contact from Brazil. They're very aware of his qualities and it's a big dream for him. So hopefully we can work together to one day make that happen. It's an aspiration of Thiago to play for the national team."
On opponents Burnley and Scott Parker: "This is a big game for us. I think they're growing in confidence in the league. Results haven't always fit with their performances. He [Parker] is someone I respect a lot - the way he sets his team up. He's had to tweak the way he plays."
'So vibrant' and yet 'so flat'published at 08:36 GMT 25 November
08:36 GMT 25 November
Ian Westbrook Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
It is hard to put a finger on why Brentford's Premier League home and away performances this season have been so radically different.
We have the sixth-best home record in the league, but the fifth-worst away one.
Once again on Saturday, we returned from an away fixture - incredibly the first outside London since August - with no points, having comprehensively beaten Newcastle at the Gtech in our previous match.
We could have rescued a point at Brighton had Igor Thiago's stoppage-time penalty gone in, but I am not sure we deserved it.
In fact, Thiago put both his penalties in exactly the same place, so if Bart Verbruggen had gone the right way for the first one, he would have saved that too.
We have been so vibrant in most of our home games, yet so flat in most of our away ones.
Having said that, I thought we started quite well on Saturday and were the better team in the first half. However, for all our decent play, we failed to create a chance and our xG from open play at half-time was zero.
It barely crept up in the second half, in which we were poor. We failed to respond to the impact of the Seagulls' two half-time substitutions and were pegged back for large chunks of time.
We seem incapable of reproducing the brilliant intensity from our home games on the road.
Defender Sepp van den Berg was very honest on club media afterwards, saying: "It was not good enough. Everyone has to look in the mirror."
Our five games before Christmas are going to prove very interesting.
We play all of the bottom three - Burnley and Leeds at home, and Wolves away - and in a fortnight have the Thomas Frank reunion at Spurs.
With our away record, our next game outside the Gtech looks ominous - Arsenal away!
Geoff: Carlos Baleba needs to be taken out of the spotlight - it is not fair on him or the team to keep selecting him. Good win in a game we would normally be expected to win, but haven't in the past.
Sam: Poor overall team performance from Brighton, but there was some individual brilliance from Yankuba Minteh with a clever finish from Danny Welbeck. To come from behind and win was the right result. We will take three points and move on.
Martin: Not our best performance. Looked like they'd all put on each other's boots in the first half. Brentford did what Brentford do: get a lucky goal and waste time, but class eventually won out.
Fran: I thought we seemed really sluggish and sloppy with our passing in the first half but improved in the second. We didn't give up and took the goals well. We definitely need to see a game out. It's not negative to put the ball out of play or send it into their half to clear the danger so late in a game. I can never understand why players try and play silly tippy-tippy passes around our own area. Just one slip or interception and you are punished. Still, a good three points.
Brentford fans
Tim: Completely bossed the first half, completely capitulated in the second. We didn't take the chances offered, and Brighton took theirs, so we deserved what we got. Too cumbersome in front of goal - why don't Bees strikers shoot anymore?
Will: Bees worked hard and the first half was good. Sat on the lead and we were punished. Substitutions all wrong again, Keith what are you thinking? Would it be time to give Reiss Nelson a go? Same substitutions most of the time away from home and the same result - beaten again.
Peter: We lack creativity and penetration in the final third. Only four shots on goal, including two penalties. Our midfield shape just looks wrong. Mikkel Damsgaard would be better if he had more space on the right-hand side.
Gavin: In the second half, it was difficult for Brentford to decide to stick or twist. Despite loads of possession Brighton were doing nothing with it, to the consternation of their fans. If it wasn't for the combined class of their best two players, Brighton may well have lost. Their winner was a mishit but Brentford should have equalised with the second penalty. However, Thiago looked like he was suffering from concussion in the second half and I wasn't surprised he missed it. The performance overall was par with the international players fading towards the end.
Gossip: Bees open to Cox loanpublished at 07:36 GMT 24 November
07:36 GMT 24 November
Brentford will allow 22-year-old English goalkeeper Matthew Cox to leave the club on loan during the January transfer window. (Football Insider), external
Brentford analysis: Bees work hard but don't do enough to winpublished at 19:17 GMT 22 November
19:17 GMT 22 November
Image source, Getty Images
Brentford fought hard and looked good value for the three points, but that late penalty save condemned Keith Andrews' side to a fifth defeat in six away league games this season.
That was not the only curse to continue - the Bees are winless in all five of their Premier League games at Brighton (drawn two and lost three), with their last victory there coming in the Championship in September 2016.
Despite the disappointment of losing from a winning position, there were positives for Andrews to take.
Thiago continued his impressive goalscoring form - his nine strikes this term bettered only by Erling Haaland's 14.
Jordan Henderson continued to justify his return to English football with another assured performance in midfield, while Ouattara posed a threat on the break.
But once Brentford's defence was breached, it became clear they had not done enough to secure victory. They registered four shots on target, but two of those were from the penalty spot.
Incidentally, 22% of Brentford's league goals this season have been scored from penalties (four of 18), the second-highest share by a team in a Premier League campaign after Crystal Palace in 2004-05 (27%, 11 of 41).
Thiago has been the story of Brentford's season after missing most of the last through injury, but on this occasion he could not provide the finishing touch when his side really needed it.
Brighton 2-1 Brentford: What Andrews said published at 18:39 GMT 22 November
18:39 GMT 22 November
Media caption,
'It was a good step for us' but 'the game can bite you' - Andrews
Brentford boss Keith Andrews speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "There are elements where I wasn't entirely happy with bits with the ball, and we gave it back too easily. Defensively, we were pretty solid and restricted them to very little, and then the game changed on that equaliser. If we walked away with a 2-2 [scoreline] we would have thought it was a solid away performance. We dust ourselves down and we go again next week, but unfortunately, the game can bite you."
On Igor Thiago's penalty miss: "It's football. It's football in this day and age as well, where, from the time it's given until the time it's taken, it's ridiculous how long they have to wait.
"The difference now compared to when penalties were given back in the day. I think it's a different challenge for players in how they deal with that and all the commotion that goes with it, and all the furore and the checks and the behaviour of the goalkeeper who subsequently gets booked, it's a difficult challenge.
"He had already taken one, so there is a bit of mind games with the keeper. Thiago has been immense for us this season. He has to wait quite a long time. It's the game now, unfortunately Thiago couldn't tuck it away."
On the poor away form: "It's just niggling a bit. We are maturing as a group all the time. I want us to set the bar very high in terms of what we want to achieve and how demanding we are of each other. We will dust ourselves down and get ready for Burnley."
Did you know?
22% of Brentford's league goals this season have been scored from penalties (4/18); the second highest share by a team in a Premier League campaign, after Crystal Palace in 2004-05 (27% - 11/41).
Igor Thiago has now scored nine goals in 12 league appearances this season; the most by a Brentford player through the opening 12 matches of a Premier League season.
Brighton v Brentford: Team newspublished at 14:05 GMT 22 November
14:05 GMT 22 November
Fabia Hurzeler makes one change to the Brighton side that drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace before the international break, with Olivier Boscagli preferred in central defence to Lewis Dunk.
Kaoru Mitoma remains out with an ankle issue, while top scorer Danny Welbeck leads the line.
Image source, Getty Images
