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Analysis: Van den Berg's rapid development at Brentford
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- Analysis: Van den Berg's rapid development at Brentford
Analysis: Van den Berg's rapid development at Brentford
Sepp van den Berg would much rather have marked a half-century of Brentford appearances with a win over Brighton on Saturday - but the Dutch defender's rapid development since joining the Bees has been a huge positive.
The 23-year-old is one of three Brentford players yet to miss a minute of Premier League action this season, along with Caoimhín Kelleher and captain Nathan Collins , and he delivered a typically solid display during his side's 2-1 defeat at the Amex.
Brentford led at the break through Igor Thiago 's spot-kick, but saw the game turn after goals from Danny Welbeck and Jake Hinshelwood.
The sting in the tail came in stoppage-time, when Thiago saw his second penalty of the afternoon saved by Seagulls stopper Bart Verbruggen .
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Despite the result, Keith Andrews felt his side's composure and decision-making marked progress - and van den Berg 's personal evolution mirrors that.
Signed from Liverpool after a successful loan with Mainz in 2023/24, van den Berg quickly established himself as a key performer under Thomas Frank - and his numbers this season have climbed again under Andrews.
His eight clearances at the Amex were four more than any other player on the pitch, and only Fulham 's Joachim Andersen , Bournemouth 's Marcos Senesi and his former team-mate Virgil van Dijk have made more across the season. Van den Berg also ranks highly across several other Premier League defensive metrics.
Third in the entire division for aerials won, with 46, van den Berg's aerial dominance is allied to a love of defending and sharp anticipation - and both he and his defensive partner Collins rank in the Premier League's top 20 for shots blocked.
'Van den Berg's aerial dominance is allied to a love of defending and sharp anticipation'
Central defenders increasingly dictate tempo and orchestrate attacks at elite level, and van den Berg has showcased the passing range and technical ability to thrive in the Premier League.
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The Bees' number four also leads the squad for pass completion (90%) and has completed more accurate short passes (412) than any team-mate.
Calm and assured, van den Berg is yet to be dispossessed this term in league play, and he has found his man with 58 per cent of his attempted long balls this season - the west Londoners' capacity to play effective 'vertical' football undoubtedly a collective strength.
After leading for so long and missing a penalty, Brentford had plenty to ponder after their loss to the Seagulls - and van den Berg may be equally bemused by his failure to score during the opening 12 games of the campaign.
Remarkably, no defender in the top flight has under-performed his expected goals more this season than van den Berg, who has yet to see the net ripple despite generating 1.96 xG.
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Such numbers suggest a first goal in Brentford colours is on the horizon for the fast-improving defender - who will aim to break his goalscoring duck and help the Bees return to winning ways at home to Burnley next weekend.
