Vitaly Janelt and Yehor Yarmoliuk could be the answer to Brentfords left-back problem

Before Brentford’s 3-0 victory over Burnley last month, Thomas Frank was asked about their never-ending list of injuries.

Mikkel Damsgaard underwent keyhole knee surgery, the club had lost Rico Henry for the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament (ACL), Shandon Baptiste dislocated a shoulder in training, Kevin Schade had an operation on a thigh injury and Josh Dasilva damaged a hamstring five minutes after coming off the bench against Fulham in August.

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“In terms of injuries, it’s probably the trickiest period (since becoming head coach in October 2018),” Frank said. “I would love a fully firing squad, but part of being a head coach is solving the problems ahead of you.

“For example, Rico Henry is a key player and we can’t replace him directly. That changes the dynamic a little bit in the team. We try to tweak it and change the position around him to get the maximum out of the 11 players on the pitch.”

The solution was to move Aaron Hickey from right-back over to the left side of the defence, and the Scotland international was impressive in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in early October, and kept Noni Madueke quiet in the 2-0 victory over Chelsea three weeks later.

However, just when it appeared Brentford’s injury issues had stopped, Hickey suffered a hamstring injury of his own in training and is expected to be out until January.

It means Brentford have to survive the next two months without a natural left-sided full-back.

And there were a few signs in the 3-0 away defeat against Liverpool on Sunday that they are going to struggle without both Henry and Hickey.

If you only looked at the scoresheet and saw Mohamed Salah’s name twice, you would be tempted into thinking Mads Roerslev — who played at left wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation — had a poor game. But while Roerslev was caught out of position for Salah’s first goal, overall he diligently followed the winger around the Anfield pitch, with help from Ben Mee.

Salah is the second top scorer in the Premier League this season (10), behind only Erling Haaland, and has become the first player in Liverpool’s history to find the net in their opening six home matches of a league campaign. Nobody should be judged on their ability to contain the Egypt international, as it is a test most defenders in the top flight fail.

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What might be more of a concern for Brentford is how their own attacks down that left side look blunt without Henry’s speed and Hickey’s clever movement.

Roerslev and central midfielder Vitaly Janelt got into good positions on the wing, but they do not have the same level of confidence or quality in those situations as their colleagues Kristoffer Ajer, Nathan Collins and Bryan Mbeumo over on the right. Part of the issue is that Yoane Wissa likes to pick up the ball in central areas and turn to run at centre-backs while Mbeumo thrives in tight spaces on the touchline. There were times when Roerslev and Janelt were in possession on the left but had limited options.

One of Brentford’s best moments came in the 16th minute, when Ajer shrugged Kostas Tsimikas off the ball on the edge of his own box and drove up the pitch. The 25-year-old then crossed and the ball fell into Mbeumo’s path, but he blazed it over the crossbar. Ajer’s contributions in attack are becoming just as important as his defensive work.

Compared to Ajer, Hickey and Henry, Roerslev is more cautious on the ball, which is why Janelt started at left-back in the 3-2 home victory against West Ham United last weekend. Janelt has a better delivery and cleverly uses body feints to disguise his intentions on the ball, but is not as good in one-v-one situations and you lose his pressing in midfield.

The best answer to Brentford’s problems at left-back might be to put Janelt there in a 4-3-3 formation and trust Yehor Yarmoliuk to start in central midfield. Yarmoliuk replaced Mathias Jensen in the second half yesterday and, apart from Mbeumo, looked like the only person in a Brentford shirt capable of creating a special moment.

The 19-year-old was only making his fourth appearance in the Premier League, yet he demanded the ball and showed off his skill by taking it around Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo on multiple occasions. There was one piece of chest control right on the touchline under pressure from two players that Ronaldinho would have been proud of. Yarmoliuk does not look like a rookie at this level but someone who instantly belongs.

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Brentford’s next game, in two weeks after the year’s final international break, is at home against Arsenal, who are third in the table and expected to push Manchester City in the title race for a second year running. Frank will probably opt for a back three in that one and put Roerslev at left wing-back, but then they host currently third-bottom, one-win Luton Town the following weekend. That will surely be the perfect opportunity to give Yarmoliuk his first start and put Janelt at left-back.

The alternative would be to go with Frank Onyeka, who has a lot more experience, in central midfield but Yarmoliuk deserves a reward for his impressive cameos. Brentford should dominate possession against Luton, which would allow Janelt to step into central midfield to help build-up play too.

Brentford have played at Anfield three times since they got promoted in May 2021 and lost on every occasion without scoring.

In January last year, Liverpool swarmed them from the opening minute and preyed on stand-in goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez’s nerves with David Raya out injured. This May, Salah scored after 13 minutes and Jurgen Klopp’s side never looked like losing control. On Sunday, Alisson made a great save from Mbeumo just before Salah gave Liverpool the lead.

Of all the grounds in the top flight, Brentford seem to struggle at Anfield the most.

However, they should take pride that without their two first-choice left-backs, the suspended Ivan Toney, Schade, Dasilva and many more, they did not just roll over.

GO DEEPER

War in Ukraine halted Yehor Yarmoliuk's career - now he's pushing for Brentford debut

(Top photo: Yarmoliuk — right — with Christian Norgaard; Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

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