It has now been seven games since Thiago scored a goal for Club Brugge. The timing coincides with when his big money move to Brentford was announced. The 22-year-old Brazilian has since been stuck on 16 league goals ahead of his imminent move to the Premier League side. In that time Club Brugge have lost a cup semi-final and seen the end of head coach Ronny Deila. Should Brentford be worried that their incoming record signing has begun to struggle in front of goal?
Perhaps it is merely that, given the huge transfer, the striker is looking ahead rather than focusing on the current situation with Club Brugge. Yet that would be ignoring the clear frustration evident in the player at not having found the net since. Just three games after the move he was sent off late on in the Brugge derby after missing a number of chances that he had been taking in previous weeks. He had two great chances to score but missed the target on both.
Despite his great goalscoring record, many fans of the club will certainly be able to tell Brentford fans and management that the striker has missed a number of ‘easy’ chances this season. Yet with the creative midfield behind him, the striker knows that there will more often than not be another one coming his way.
Against Cercle Brugge the second time around this weekend he certainly contributed more to the overall team performance than in past weeks. Thiago created three chances, but still failed to hit the target with any of his four shots.
Brentford fans may also take comfort in the fact that Thiago has a history of going through long periods without goals before finding his form again. Last season with Bulgarian side Ludogorets he had only scored four league goals after 21 games, but ended the season with 15 after 32.
The big questions remains whether or not this inability to be consistent in front of goal will be enough to bring success in the Premier League. Many a top striker in the Belgian league has tried their luck in England, and not many have been successful.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Ben Jackson
