Skip to main content

Written on .

Waiting for Ghoddos in West London

Ghoddos

Brentford are a team that is adrift at sea in the Premier League and, in reality, also now sinking fast. Astonishingly, the Bees went through the whole of January and February without winning a Premier League game and during those months, Thomas Frank saw his side lose on no fewer than eight occasions. It should be said that there doesn't seem to be much panic amongst the Brentford hierarchy given that the club relies on a stats-based approach with regards to everything they do. 

Right now, the Brentford think tank is happy with what they're seeing and believe that the results will turn. It’s a bold gamble to make given that the Bees have been abject since the start of the British winter and you feel that in actual fact, the club are banking instead on the impact that Christian Eriksen will have after signing for the club until the end of the season. 

Once again, it’s a risky approach to take when considering that no one really knows how effective the Dane will be after not playing for eight months since Euro 2020. Instead, the Bees seem to have the answer to their shortage of goals and creativity that is costing them dearly in the Premier League right in front of them. Indeed, there is a feeling around the Brentford Community Stadium that Saman Ghoddos has been underused this season and that his increased participation could help dig the club out of this sinking hole they find themselves in. 

All in all, Ghoddos has struggled for game time but when he has played, the Iranian international has managed to score as well as register assists. Of course, it has been a relatively meagre return for the attacking midfielder in terms of stats but you have to take into account that it has very much been a bit-part role that he has played off the bench. The hope now is that Frank will turn to Ghoddos before the Bees lose any more ground in the Premier League and slip further into a relegation battle over the late winter and early spring.

Although there are some concerns that the damage has already been done now that confidence is at an all-time low in the Brentford camp. You only need to look at their upcoming fixtures in the league against Burnley, Leicester, Chelsea, West Ham, Spurs and Manchester United, and then consider how one-sided the moneyline odds are on these matches to understand how much trouble this team is in. For those unsure of how moneyline betting works, it is extremely straightforward given that it is a bet where you pick the team you think will win a game. In Brentford’s case, there will be very few picking the Bees to win over the closing months of the season owing to this wretched run they are on.

That could change however if Thomas Frank turns to the industrious and highly skilled Ghoddos to help his team increase their fluidity in the final third. Alternatively, leaving the Iranian on the bench could well spell the end of Brentford's stay in the Premier League which would be an unnecessary and costly mistake to make.