Self-Inflicted Wounds: The Harsh Reality Behind Brentford's Costly Red Card Record

Under head coach Keith Andrews, Brentford have found great success in embracing a high intensity, physical brand of football which often thrives on the edge of chaos. However, over the course of the last month, isolated moments across two separate games have crossed the line from tactical aggression into a costly state of somewhat self-sabotage... 

When Diego Gomez unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard screamer to give Brighton & Hove Albion the lead early on at the American Express Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Brentford’s chances of getting a result were already looking difficult, but what followed just eight minutes later transformed an uphill battle for the Bees into an almost worthless fight away from home.

In the 23rd minute, Igor Thiago reacted to a shirt pull from Chema Andres by shrugging off the midfielder with a push to the face. Whilst referee Michael Oliver initially brandished a yellow card to both, the VAR deemed the push to the face from Thiago as grounds for an on field review, and the Brazilian was subsequently sent off. As Thiago vanished down the tunnel, so did any realistic chance of a Brentford route back into the game. 

Across a 38 game season it is unfortunately part and parcel of the modern game that most teams will experience a costly red card at some stage. The issue for Brentford is this is not an isolated incident. 

The Bees have picked up three red cards in 10 Premier League games this season, a tally matched only by Sunderland.

The cost of Brentford's red cards is there to see in black and white. Andrews' side have lost just two games in the Premier League this season. The common theme from both of those defeats? They had handed the opposition a numerical advantage before even reaching half time. 

In the case of Brentford's first red card of the season, they had been leading Liverpool 1-0 on the stroke of half-time when Yehor Yarmoliuk was sent off after a VAR review for what was adjudged to have been a headbutt on Jeremy Jacquet. The West Londoners went on to lose 2-1.

Speaking to the BBC post-match regarding Thiago's red card against Brighton, Andrews said: "We've lost two games this season and both have been on occasions when we've had a man sent off. I think you know me well enough to know we look in the mirror first and how we can do things slightly better."

"I do think our players need more protecting, on both of those occasions [Thiago and Yarmoliuk red cards] with the player that has been sent off it's the opposition player that has antagonised the situation, that's been the one to provoke everything but again, we need to do better."

As mentioned by Andrews, for the dismissals of Thiago and Yarmoliuk both were provoked by Andres and Jacquet prior to the reactions which saw both see red. Particularly in the case of Thiago the red card could be deemed harsh to an extent, and Brentford could yet appeal the three match ban the striker is currently obligated to serve. 

However, the frustration above anything will be that, red card or not, Brentford have once again needlessly given the referee a decision to make by making the same mistake in falling for an opponent's provoking tactics. 

Whilst not costly and only a yellow card, Kevin Schade's yellow card in the second half was almost comedic in how needless it was. 

Everyone likes a bit of passion, and there is little doubt Schade lacks that fire in him that fans love to see, but shoving Luka Vuskovic to the ground in retaliation to a fairly standard foul on him was a pretty perfect illustration of the silly headloss Brentford's players have had on too many occasions recently.

Even if VAR had not recommended a red card, the initial yellow card shown by Michael Oliver to Thiago at Brighton would've been the Brazilian's fifth of the season, requiring him to serve a one game ban against Everton. 

With still nine games left prior to the cut off point for a five yellow card ban, there is no real excuse for a number nine to be close to that number already, and the voiding of the yellow card at Brighton when upgraded to red ensures that when he eventually does return from his three match ban in December, Thiago must get through another six games without a booking to avoid being banned for a further game. 

The same situation applies for Vitaly Janelt, who was sent off late in the defeat to Liverpool for a second bookable offence that reduced the Bees to nine men, with the German sat on four yellow cards ever since he missed the 1-1 draw at Hull City.

Whilst Janelt, as a defensive midfielder, will naturally pick up more bookings than the average attacker, the frustration with him, should he get a further one game ban if he is booked in the next nine games, will be that more than one of those four bookings came for dissent. 

On too many occasions the Bees are guilty of losing their heads, and it is proving costly. 

The repetition of the mistakes that are costing Brentford points is perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the season so far for the fans. Moving away from red cards as a further example, Brentford have conceded the most penalties in the league this season with three. 

Of the three penalties conceded, two were at the hands of Keane Lewis-Potter for very similar incidents, in both cases holding onto an opposition player from a set piece. Having been punished for it once in the 1-1 draw to Sunderland, conceding a penalty which lost Brentford two points late on, it is hard to defend giving a penalty away again at Brighton, with Pascal Gross' penalty to make it 2-0 ending any minute chance the 10 men had of an unlikely comeback. 

Physicality is an important part of Brentford's game, and they absolutely should continue taking games to teams in a physical manner, but there is a fine line between aggression and stupidity. 

The club's current position of eighth in the table is not cause for any concern at all, but there will be a definite frustration from within as to how much better that position could be had they kept their heads better on certain occasions so far this campaign...