Thomas Frank could hardly wipe the smile off his face yesterday as he spoke about the midfield talent he believes might just reignite Brentford’s stuttering season.
“I’m looking forward to it so much I can’t even say it,” the Bees manager grinned. “I’m so much looking forward to getting him on the pitch. I think we’ll see what a big player, what a good player he is.
“Of course, he needs to show it and perform and do well but I’m convinced he’ll produce magic moments on the pitch when he’s up to his top level.”
You’d be forgiven for presuming that Frank had been discussing Christian Eriksen, the world class playmaker expected to give a lift to a side whose dip in form suggests their top-flight honeymoon may be over - as well as football at large - as he makes a life-affirming return to the Premier League.
Instead, the name on Frank’s lips was that of a player yet to make his debut in the division: Josh Dasilva.
Amid all the Covid and injury struggles that have dogged Brentford’s season it has gone somewhat underplayed that they have been without a player with genuine claims to being their best for just shy of a year.
Wind the clock back twelve months and you may recall that Dasilva was in the midst of a standout campaign, a regular in the England U21 side, dominating Championship matches he had clearly outgrown on a weekly basis and stepping up against Premier League opposition during Brentford’s run to the last four of the Carabao Cup, most notably with a man of the match performance against Newcastle in the quarter-finals.
A year ago almost to the day, in fact, he scored twice in a 3-1 win at Reading that sent Brentford to the top of the Championship, but by the end of the month he was sidelined by the crippling hip injury that has kept him out since, a season of so much promise curtailed, eventually ending on crutches at Wembley as he joined in celebration of the west Londoners’ historic promotion via the playoffs.
So long has he been absent that even Frank, a notoriously good talker with no need to resort to cliche, could not resist delving into the big footballing book of them to declare the 23-year-old to be “like a new signing” this month. But with his side on a run of five straight defeats in all competitions - including last weekend’s FA Cup thumping at Everton, in which Dasilva finally made his comeback as a second-half substitute - it is little surprise that the Dane sees such reason for optimism in the return of his most dynamic player.
“I was pleased to see his first 20 minutes against Everton, that gave him another boost and in the last couple of trainings he’s looked sharp,” Frank said.
“I’m really looking forward to what he can add for us: his one-vs-one abilities in the middle of the pitch, his passing in the final third and his finishes - these are elements that every team needs.”
It is the third of that trinity of attributes that has been most sorely missed. The season before last, as Brentford’s ‘BMW’ forward line of Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbuemo and Ollie Watkins stole the headlines, Dasilva chimed in with ten league goals from midfield and by the time of his injury last year had scored five. In the top flight, Brentford’s central midfield corps of Shandon Baptiste, Vitaly Janelt, Mathias Jensen, Frank Onyeka and Christian Norgaard - none of whom possess Dasilva’s attacking inclination - have managed just four between them.
It was one of the reasons why bringing in Eriksen and all his creative powers seemed such a no-brainer once it emerged as a possibility, but while Bees fans may still be waiting a number of weeks to see the 29-year-old back in action, Frank is expecting his influence on Dasilva to be immediate.
“We just played a small-sided game today and one thing Eriksen needs to learn is to never be in a one-vs-one situation with Josh because he will lose that battle!” he laughed.
“But Josh, of course, will learn a lot from Christian, in terms of where to position himself, how to be patient and not go running across the pitch to follow the ball, the ball will arrive to you. And then taking the right decisions and seeing things quickly.”
Then the grin returned to Frank’s face as he continued.
“The dream, of course, to have both of them on the pitch at the same time. In top shape, that will be a big moment for everyone involved in Brentford Football Club, for the fans.
“You can never predict the future but if that happens - phwoar - that will be good.”
