What Mitoma and Van Hecke’s Return Means for Brentford’s Strategy

As the final games of the English Premier League take place, it’s becoming easier for experts, as well as football fans, to determine the final scores and positions. But with a few more games to go, the stakes are still high, and punters are eagerly making their bets. And with reliable options like the Bet365 app, they have been able to make wagers in real-time as they keep up with the team updates. But where does Brentford fall in all this? What’s more, what impact will Mitoma and Van Hecke have on the team?

Brentford vs. Brighton & Hove Albion​

On 27th December, 2024, Brentford faced Brighton at Brighton’s home ground. The match was quite intense and ended in a draw, with Brighton unwilling to concede goals in its home. Come 19th April, 2025, the two teams met again, this time on Brentford’s turf. The match ended 4-2, and Brentford celebrated the win with vigour.

With 5 matches left, Brentford currently ranks 11th with 46 points and is unlikely to finish in the top 10. However, that is quite an improvement from the 2023-2024 season when it was 16th with 39 points. Before that, it had been 9th with 59 points in the 2022-2023 season, and 13th with 46 points in the 2021-2022 season. For a team that had played in the Championship for 7 consecutive seasons before that, it has been doing quite well.

Brighton & Hove Albion, on the other hand, is quite a strong opponent. With 34 matches done, it is two spots ahead of Brentford, boasting 51 points. As a team that has been playing in the EPL for the last eight seasons, it has had the following performance:

• 2023-2024: 11th place with 48 points.
• 2022-2023: 6th with 62 points.
• 2021-2022: 9th with 61 points.

Before that, it had placed 16th in the 2020-2021 season and 15th in the 2019-2020 season. Its rise to the top 10 rankings and ability to maintain consistency have thus been an impressive turn of events. But as any coach will tell you, the players make the team. So, which players have influenced this dominance, and why does Brentford need to pay attention?

Kaoru Mitoma​

Having suffered a heel injury, Mitoma had to be away for some of the key Brighton & Hove Albion games. But now, he’s back to full fitness, which will impact Brentford in the following ways:

• Pressure on the flank. With the heel injury out of the way, Mitoma will be back to his usual fast speed and incredible dribbling skills that will allow him to exploit the gaps in the left wing. While the last match against Brighton went great, Brentford will need to rethink its strategy and solidify its defence to keep up with Mitoma. Unfortunately, this reactionary approach may also affect the team’s defensive strategies, which have been effective so far.

His return will force Brentford to find a balance between pushing higher up the pitch and sitting deeper – both options come with significant tradeoffs that require optimal strategies.

Jan Paul van Hecke​

The last game against Brentford did not play out too well for van Hecke. He suffered a head injury after colliding with another player and had to receive urgent medical care, which saw him leave the game. The team is positive about his recovery, and he will soon be showing up in other games. How will this affect Brentford?

• A need for offensive strategies. Van Hecke is known for his strong physicality and ability to put up a strong defence. So good is he at neutralising aerial balls and through passes that the team counts on him for central defence. For a while, his temporary absence has created some gaps in the team’s defence. But once he’s back in full play, Brentford will have no choice but to come up with creative offence tactics that focus on quick transitions or playing along the wide areas.

Additionally, van Hecke’s return will inspire more confidence in his teammates. That means that Brentford will have to be more cautious in its attacks to avoid leaving their defence open, even as they keep up with van Hecke.