Eyebrows were raised when Leeds United sold Pontus Jansson to Brentford last summer, but the Sweden international is dreaming of a fairytale finish to an extraordinary season.
Jansson spent three years at Elland Road before Marcelo Bielsa showed the imposing centre-half the door, bringing their uneasy relationship to a close.
The 29-year-old, by his own admission, never quite warmed to Bielsa’s man-management style despite thriving on the pitch and helping Leeds to finish third last term.
Injury kept him out of the play-off semi-final defeat to Derby and he was soon sent packing in a £5.5million switch to the capital.
Not that anyone is complaining; Leeds top the Championship and in-form Brentford will move two points behind second-placed West Brom with victory at Reading on Tuesday night.
“When I left Leeds, I came here and said that I hoped both teams could go up,” Jansson says.
“Now it’s possible and we’d love to achieve automatic promotion. Leeds is a part of my football life and I have friends there among the coaches and players.
“I’ve said all season that we’re going to chase Leeds until the end. They’re eight points ahead of us, so will be tough to catch, but we have every chance of hunting down West Brom.
"Heaven knows Leeds United’s long-suffering supporters have learnt to temper their expectations down the years, but try keeping them grounded after this."
Report in @iPaperSport on Marcelo Bielsa's tactical masterstroke in 3-0 Fulham victory. #lufc #ffchttps://t.co/bQmiY37jgM
— Ross Heppenstall (@rosshmediaman) June 29, 2020
“We recently said we must be stupid if we don’t go for the top two. The dream would be for us and Leeds to go up together.”
Thomas Frank’s side have made a huge statement by beating Fulham and West Brom since the season restarted.
Said Benrahma, Bryan Mbeumo and Ollie Watkins, Brentford’s “BMW” forward line, have scored 48 goals between them this term while Jansson has prospered as captain under his Danish boss.
Jansson said: “We have a group of five or six players, including David Raya, Christian Norgaard and Henrik Daalsgard and myself, who speak with Thomas every day.
“Some of the younger players have developed a lot throughout the season, like Ollie and Said, who also get involved.
“Technically, football-wise, Marcelo and Thomas are quite similar in the way they analyse and prepare well for games.
“Thomas and his staff listen to us, which is good leadership and what Scandinavians like myself are used to.
“I got used to working with Marcelo last year and at the end of the season I was like ‘yeah, that’s just how it is’.
“I would have liked to talk to Marcelo every day because you have so much to learn. But that’s how it is – he didn’t want to talk to me – so I just had to accept it.
“I still learnt so much under Marcelo last year and I think I had my best season in terms of individual performances.
“Marcelo knows I’m very thankful for everything I learned from him.
“This year I have developed a lot as a person and as a captain, and I think I have helped Brentford so much in different ways.”
Jansson has gradually mellowed since arriving at Leeds from Torino four summers ago.
He admitted: “In my first two seasons at Leeds, it felt like I was looking to get booked in every game.
“I wanted to have a fight with opposition players and a dialogue with the referee – silly, stupid things.
“But last year Marcelo came in and forced me to become a better person on and off the pitch.
“I have learned from Thomas to be more calm after the anger that I maybe had before, so he’s one of the best coaches I’ve had.
“I used to be the one always in the spotlight and I was looking for it, but now I don’t even care about it.
“I’ve no problem with my defensive partner, Ethan Pinnock, getting all the attention because he’s been fantastic.
“I’m a father now and have to set an example. With age and experience, I think this is a better version of Pontus.”
Brentford could be a Premier League club when they move into their new 17,250-seater stadium next to Kew Bridge Station, less than a mile from Griffin Park.
Seven games remain and Jansson added: “We’re going to be favourites now every time we play, but why can’t we then go out and win every game?
“We don’t need to change anything – we just need to work hard and do what we are good at. Let’s see how far we can go.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2VstslZ
Post a Comment