Brentford concluded their pre-season with an entertaining 4-4 draw with Wolfsburg at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night.
Ahead of next Sunday’s Premier League curtain raiser against Crystal Palace, the Bees were intent on making a strong statement and were prompt in taking control of proceedings with a quickfire double within 20 minutes.
Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring as he reacted quickest to Kristoffer Ajer’s scuffed pull-back in the 17th-minute; Vitaly Janelt then pounced to capitalise on Maximilian Arnold’s indecision to set up Wissa for a controlled strike past goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.
Wolfsburg hit back before the break
However, following an interval in play caused by a spectator, Wolfsburg fought back to go into half-time level, taking advantage of Brentford’s weaknesses at the back post.
Maxence Lacroix converted an Arnold free-kick to level the score in the 41st-minute, seven minutes after Patrick Wimmer's tap-in had dampened the mood in west London.
An entertaining second half
The second half proved as entertaining as the first, with Ivan Toney’s introduction at half-time, his first involvement in pre-season, providing another element of excitement as he was heavily involved in Brentford’s next two goals, providing a clever assist for his side’s fourth.
It was the centre-forward’s header that created the opening for Schade's shot that deflected into the path of Mbeumo, whose first-time strike rebounded off the post into the path of Mathias Jensen to convert in the 65th-minute.
Then followed an audacious flick into the on-running Schade 15 minutes later; a passage of play that resulted in the 22-year-old grabbing his third goal of pre-season.
Despite Brentford taking the lead on three occasions, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side went on to level the score late in the second half. First through an unstoppable left-footed strike by Arnold before Wimmer got his second with five minutes to spare.
While an entertaining spectacle for those in attendance, there will be concerns heading into Crystal Palace, with old habits from last season re-emerging.
Player Ratings
Mark Flekken – 4
It was a mixed evening for Flekken and he’ll no doubt be disappointed to have conceded four, even though there’s not much he could’ve done about the latter two.
It’s apparent that he’s still not up to speed as he was hesitant in commanding his area, leading to moments of miscommunication with his defence, in addition to indecision that contributed to frailties dealing with set-pieces.
He did have his moments, producing a standout save to maintain Brentford’s lead, making himself big to block a cutback from close range before stopping the rebound in a combined effort with Norgaard - plus two strong saves late on.
Flekken was more assured on the ball than he was against Watford, despite a blip that went unpunished. However, he will need to do a lot of work to get up to speed heading into the new campaign.
Mads Roerslev – 6
There’s not too much to note about Roerslev’s performance as his involvement was sporadic due to Wolfsburg’s press cutting off the supply into him.
He provided a constant outlet in the first half as he maintained a wide position, allowing Mbeumo to drift inside to combine with Wissa, but failed to have an impact in the final third as he passed the creative burden onto other players.
He proved to be solid defensively, particularly in the first 45. He dealt with Jakub Kaminski effectively in one-on-ones, but with Wolfsburg playing in front of him for most of the second, there wasn’t much he could do.
Nathan Collins – 5
Two brilliant blocks in quick succession in second half stoppage-time were the highlights of a performance that had room for improvement.
Collins was a strong presence in the air for most of the game, dealing with set-pieces and lofted passes well. Although, he lost his man too easily in the build-up to the visitors' fourth goal.
Wolfsburg's press, which cut the supply lines into the centre, forced him wide and into uncomfortable positions. While he was able to pick out a passes down the line at times, he would resort to direct passes that amounted to little.
Ethan Pinnock - 6
The centre-back was dominant in the air, snuffing out anything that came within his vicinity with great aplomb.
As with Collins, he found it difficult to play out of defence as the opposition was well organised in blocking the central passing lanes. Subsequently, he was limited to moving the ball sideways or making direct passes over their high defensive line.
His ability to know where to be and when to be there is invaluable. The Bundesliga outfit could well have scored another during the second half if it wasn't for the Jamaican positioning himself brilliantly to intercept a pull-back in a dangerous area.
Kristoffer Ajer - 7
Operating in an unnatural position of left-back, Ajer showcased a versatility that will be valuable to Thomas Frank.
His positional discipline requires improvement, even though he was able to make recovery tackles; in possession, he was a driving force in breaking through Wolfsburg’s structure, running with the ball into promising areas then sliding a pass into the forward's path.
While uncomfortable using his left foot, opting to use the outside of his right when required, Schade’s wide berth meant he was able to slot in as a left centre-back at times and make underlapping runs to support attacks.
His desire to get forward was rewarded with an assist while his aggression in winning the ball high up the pitch initiated the passage of play that led to Jensen getting his name on the scoresheet.
Vitaly Janelt - 6
Janelt was tasked to act as an enforcer, facilitate the high press, and nullify the influence of Arnold in midfield – doing so effectively for most of the game.
Staying in close proximity to the Wolfsburg midfielder, he was able to limit his influence in phases, particularly in the first half, and earned an assist by pouncing on the 30-year-old’s indecision on the edge of his area before spotting Wissa in a dangerous position.
The German's influence dwindled as Brentford struggled to build through the middle of the pitch, resulting in him having to scrap for possession. However, when on the ball, he showed a great assuredness that was key in maintain control of possession in spells.
Christian Norgaard - 6
Norgaard was not quite able to have his usual influence in the build-up but he was effective in possession when called upon.
He held onto the ball well and drew in fouls to disrupt momentum, timing his passes to perfection to bait the press, while showing great invention to pass into the front three.
His defensive contribution was strong in open play as he was a combative figure in the middle that read passages well to anticipate the threats before stopping them in their tracks with an interception.
It was his well-weighted pass into Ajer that got the ball rolling for Brentford's opener, a move that set the tone for an ever-reliable performance that will have gone under the radar given the score.
Mathias Jensen - 6
Jensen's influence relied on Brentford's ability to hold onto possession as he was often bypassed in midfield.
Granted initial freedom with Janelt and Norgaard acting as the base, Jensen was able to express him in the first half with a pass variation that unlocked Wolfsburg's defence on multiple occasions, allowing Mbeumo and Wissa to entertain.
Tasked with operating close to Toney after the interval, the midfielder took advantage of his sole chance in front of goal, composing himself in the area before putting disguise on a shot to beat Grabara at his near post.
Defensively, Wolfsburg were able to drive past Jensen with ease and get into threatening positions through the middle.
Bryan Mbeumo - 7
Mbeumo opened the scoring with a controlled first-time finish, and he will consider himself unfortunate not to have scored a brace, having struck the base of the post in the second half.
The 25-year-old showcased a strong understanding with his team-mates, firstly combining to great effect with Wissa in the first half, with the duo's interchange causing problems, then re-igniting an old flame with Toney in the second.
He exhibited a great variation in his free-kicks while his awareness and passing range afforded Brentford opportunities to get into promising areas.
However, the Cameroonian was at fault for their first goal. Instead of holding up play and waiting for support as the team stepped out from a defensive corner, he was easily dispossessed and that allowed the visitors to capitalise with a cross to the back post.
Yoane Wissa - 8
Wissa was entrusted by Frank to act as the reference point in attack, often dropping deep to receive the ball to facilitate space for others, before either driving forward or combining with a team-mate in close proximity – often Mbeumo.
His movement frequently caused Wolfsburg’s defence problems, often fainting to drop before running in behind, and vice-versa, while he was able to combine to great effective with clever flicks.
Wissa was the scorer of Brentford’s second of the night with a composed finish, though he'll be disappointed not to have converted Jensen's in-swinging cross from close range, perhaps seeing the ball too late to react accordingly.
The 27-year-old was substituted at half-time in a pre-planned decision to moderate his workload after having a minor calf problem during the week.
Kevin Schade - 7
There’s still an element of rawness in his game, with an often loose first touch and not being able to take the ball in his stride at times, but he possesses great speed and movement that proved to be a valuable outlet for Brentford.
With left-back Ajer making underlapping runs, Schade was often afford the space on the left to get in behind and drive at the opposition. Frustratingly, he often slowed down the play to wait for support instead of taking the defender to the sword.
A relentless presser while showing perseverance throughout, Schade got his much-desired goal with a standout finish in what was a noble final contribution to the match, having suffered cramp in the aftermath.
Substitutes
Ivan Toney - 8
It was a performance reminiscent of the Toney that dominated the Premier League in the season of his ban, and one from a centre-forward with a point to prove.
Introduced at half-time, the 28-year-old was Brentford's standout performer in the second half, exhibiting great awareness and link-up play that saw him heavily involved in two goals, and it didn't take long for his chant to be heard at the Gtech Community Stadium.
An audacious effort to lob Grabara from distance, which was superbly saved by the Polish shot-stopper, exemplified his confidence as he strolled around causing havoc for the Bundesliga side's defence.
It was like he had a full pre-season under his belt, despite returning to training on Monday.
Mikkel Damsgaard - 6
Part of the collection of substitutes in the latter stages of the game, Damsgaard had the biggest impact as his quick thinking allowed Toney to flick the ball into the path of Schade for Brentford's final goal on the night.
Yehor Yarmoliuk - 5
Yarmoliuk showed an immediate desire to receive the ball and move it upon his introduction at the base of midfield in the 75th-minute. Otherwise, he was unable to impact the game.
Kim Ji-Soo - 5
The 19-year-old was not called upon in defence after replacing Pinnock at centre-back in the 75th-minute. In possession, he wanted to be progressive by stepping with forward with the ball and move it quickly.
Ryan Trevitt - 5
Trevitt found it hard to get involved in the game as, alike Roerslev, the play often passed him.
Frank Onyeka - 5
Onyeka showed a great energy and want to carry the ball forward upon his late introduction.
He had to be bailed out by Collins twice in quick succession after a wayward first touch on the edge of the area in the 84th-minute - the subsequent corner lead to Wolfsburg's equaliser.
Myles Peart-Harris - N/A
Peart-Harris produced nothing of note as an 83rd-minute substitute.
