No Toney, no problem. Brentford’s on fire even without their star, driven by an African duo

At the end of last season, this was a burning question in the football world. How will Brentford fare without their key player and top scorer? So far, it looks like the London outfit won’t have any problems with their offense. The duo of Mbeumo + Wissa is mainly responsible for that.

When the eight-month layoff for Ivan Toney was confirmed, many Brentford fans were shocked. The English striker joined the club in the summer of 2020 and immediately became a mainstay of the team. He was the top scorer in all 3 seasons, scoring 68 goals overall for the Bees.

And now Thomas Frank and his team have to cope without him, at least until 16 January 2024, when his sentence ends. A striker of Toney’s caliber is not easy to replace in the lineup, but the games the team has played without him so far fill fans with optimism.

Since promotion in 2021, the Bees have played 11 games in the Premier League without Toney (due to injury, card penalties or the current betting penalty). And only twice of those games have they come out without points, the overall record is 5 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses.

It is also important to note that Brentford’s players have scored 18 goals in these games and have therefore managed to cope with the absence of their star player. In particular, the African duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa have shone.

Mbeumo hit in all 11 games where Toney was absent (he started 10 times in the starting lineup) and scored 7 goals, adding 3 assists. Wissa started 9 of those games in the starting lineup (he came off the bench for the rest), and recorded a 5+1 record.

Their great interplay has been felt by Liverpool, for example, who beat Brentford 3-1 last season without Toney, with both players scoring a goal each, Manchester City, with Mbeumo assisting the winning goal, and Tottenham, the latter even more times in recent months.

At the end of last season, the Bees were 3-1 down on Spurs, with Mbeumo registering a 2+1 record and Wissa 1+1. And in the opening round of this season, both scored in a 2-2 draw.

“It is very important that both Mbeumo and Wissa have come through. They do it often when Toney is not playing. So I’m pleased that they did it this time as well,” Thomas Frank told Sky Sports after the game.

Brentford are yet to play a good chunk of games without Ivan Toney, but fans of the London outfit can rest easy for now as it looks like the offensive duo will be able to fill in solidly for their missing teammate. And they will certainly be hoping that they can do so in the next round – as the Bees have a trip to rivals Fulham.

Sources: Livesport, Transfermarkt, Sky Sports, Twitter