Pontus Jansson was talking to a group of reporters in the tunnel after Brentford’s chaotic 3-3 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion when he was suddenly interrupted. Thomas Frank walked up to the defender from behind and patted his head before declaring “the captain is back”.
Jansson only missed one game for Brentford in the Premier League last season, but his playing time has decreased dramatically since. The main reason for that is a persistent hamstring injury which he originally suffered during a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth on October 1. The 32-year-old started for the first time since that match against Brighton and produced a heroic performance which helped Brentford move above Liverpool into seventh.
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Jansson used to be one of the first names on Frank’s team sheet, but the competition for places is much fiercer now. Ben Mee has been exceptional since he joined the club from Burnley last summer and has forged a formidable partnership with Ethan Pinnock which was the bedrock of Brentford’s 12-match unbeaten run. Despite being the captain, Jansson’s chances of breaking them up were slim.
Kristoffer Ajer has struggled with injury problems, yet still has lots of potential and is one of the club’s most expensive signings at £13.5million. Do not forget about the crucial role Mathias ‘Zanka’ Jorgensen carried out in the memorable victories over Manchester City and Liverpool either. By the time Jansson returned to full fitness, he had slipped so far down the pecking order he was arguably the fifth-choice centre back.
If you looked at the raw numbers from Brentford’s draw with Brighton, you might be confused why a centre-back is being singled out for praise. They took the lead three times and were only denied victory by Alexis Mac Allister’s 90th-minute penalty, but in reality Roberto De Zerbi’s side dominated the game and David Raya made 11 saves in total. The last goalkeeper before Raya to make more than 10 saves in a single Premier League game was Karl Darlow (11) in Newcastle United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur two-and-a-half years ago.
According to Opta, Brighton became the first side since records began in 2003-04 to have all 10 of their outfield players who started the game attempt at least two shots on goal. They had the most shots (33) and attempts on target (15) that any team has managed in a single game in the top-flight this season, too. They finished the game with an Expected Goals tally of 4.5.
Frank confessed that Brentford “didn’t hit our normal high defensive level” and that there were “a few structural things we normally do better” but without Jansson, who tried to block every shot and clear the endless stream of crosses, things could have been much worse.
Jansson, who has won 27 caps for Sweden, was unafraid to put his body on the line in a contest he described as “like a boxing fight”. In the sixth minute he followed Mac Allister up the pitch, won a crunching header and clattered his opponent to the floor.
He clashed heads with Pinnock in the first-half when they both tried to clear the ball and later on fell awkwardly trying to desperately block a shot from Pervis Estupinan. Brighton were pushing Brentford back deeper and deeper towards the end, but Jansson ignored all the bumps and bruises and kept standing up to face the next challenge.
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The defender’s goal, which opened the scoring, was a well-worked move but Brighton allowed Mathias Jensen far too much time to whip the ball into the box. Jansson’s contribution for Brentford’s second goal was more impressive. Joel Veltman threw the ball towards Mac Allister, but he read the danger and made a vital interception.
Bryan Mbeumo picked up the ball and set up Ivan Toney who struck it past Jason Steele. Toney scored just 88 seconds after Kaoru Mitoma had equalised and it stemmed from Jansson being alert and aggressive. Any signs of rust were nowhere to be seen.
Jansson’s contract expires in June but there is no rush to make a decision on his future. He has strong relationships with Brentford’s owner Matthew Benham, director of football Phil Giles and Frank. The priority was always to get him fit again before talking about a potential contract extension.
The centre-back is one of the oldest members of Brentford’s squad and is no longer a guaranteed starter, yet there was more than enough quality on display against Brighton to suggest it would be sensible to keep him around for longer and delay an inevitable reunion with his boyhood club Malmo.
“It feels fantastic to be back,” Jansson said. “It’s been six long months but I’ve been working very hard with the physio team. Everyone out on the training ground can say that I’ve been giving it my all and this is the reward you get from that.
“The conversation has always been we will talk (about a new contract) when you’re back and now I’m back we have to sit down and see what’s best for me and for the club. But now I’m just happy to be able to get through 90 minutes, perform well, score a goal and get a point in a tough away game. So let’s see what’s happens in the coming days.”
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
