In-depth tactical Vitaly Janelt interview in Brighton match programme | OneFootball

One vital attribute when playing in the role Vitaly Janelt does is football intelligence: being able to read the flow of play, anticipate what will happen next, make smart decisions quickly, and position himself effectively even without the ball.

It’s about knowing when to pass, where to move, how to support team-mates, and how to adapt to different situations on the pitch - something which the midfielder does week in, week out for the Bees.

And, in an interview for Saturday's matchday programme for the visit of Brighton to Gtech Community Stadium, Janelt's football brain is put to use to comprehensively describe his current tactical role in Thomas Frank's side.

“We’ve mainly played in a 4-4-2 this season,” Janelt explains.

“It’s been great for me and Christian [Nørgaard] - he’s good at arriving in the box and I stay in at the 6 [a deeper midfield role]; then it works the other way round, I’ll support on the left or join in the box, he’ll stay in the 6. It’s a good connection for us.

“In other seasons, there would be a clear 8 [a more attacking midfield role], but we don’t really have that now - both of us can go and the other one can stay, which is easier for us.

“We’ve been confident and strong in our 4-4-2 shape this year, everyone likes it, and then we adapt that slightly in games with different opponents: we’ll look at small things like who the opponents’ good 1v1 players are, who we should close down more, which players will be in our box from crosses, how much possession we will have.

“But we try to keep the majority of what we do the same and just focus on our game.”

He adds: “What Thomas wants is clear: he wants me to drop towards the left-back area, between the left-centre-back and Keane [Lewis-Potter], so he can go high.

"It’s then up to me how I want to play or what I want to do.”

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ICYMI: Buzz Bee has been taken by the Beekeeper - but who's under the mask? It's your job, along with the Brentford squad, to follow the clues across the Bees' 2024/25 programme covers to try and find out.

On each programme cover, members of the squad will be following riddles across west London, which will eventually lead them to the club's mascot - and the identity of the Beekeeper - on the final day of the season.

Clues and hints - big and small - will be scattered across each programme cover for you, the supporters, to work out who has snatched Buzz.

And, if you do, you could be in with a chance of winning a shirt signed by the Brentford first-team squad. So make sure to buy a copy, keep your eyes peeled, and study every last corner of the cover!

Submit your answers on X with the hashtag #WhoTookBuzz, along with the name of your suspect. All correct answers will be put in a draw at the end of the campaign, with the winner securing the prize.

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Programmes can also be delivered directly to your door with a season-long subscription, which can be purchased for £120.

The subscription includes all 19 of the Bees' Premier League home games, as well as any cup games for the first team at Gtech Community Stadium this season.

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