When joining Brentford in a €600k move from German side VfL Bochum last summer, Vitaly Janelt probably didn’t imagine he’d see such big games in his first season in England.
More than the challenges in the Championship, he also had some great ties when facing Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup.
Janelt started both in the 1-0 win against the Magpies and in the 2-0 loss to Spurs, and in an interview with Sport Buzzer, he talks about how great these matches were for him.
“We were at the same level against Newcastle and rewarded ourselves with the winning goal in the second half, which was not undeserved,” Janelt told Sport Buzzer.
“Against Tottenham we saw the opposing individual class directly. We made two mistakes that were immediately punished. In addition, an offside goal was unfortunately recognised by VAR before the second hit. If that goal had counted, the game would’ve been close because we were good at that point and that would’ve been the equaliser.”
On the move to English in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic, Janelt told Sport Buzzer how he managed to adapt to a new country without being able to visit his family.
“I’ve settled in very well in my private life. At first I stayed in a hotel and at the same time looked for an apartment. After two months I moved out of the hotel and found an apartment in Brentford, in west London, which is right next to our stadium.
“Since the change, I’ve unfortunately not had the opportunity to travel to Germany due to the corona pandemic. Especially since the situation here on site is even more acute. As a result, a lockdown was ordered until March 31st, 2021. On the other hand, due to the tight schedule, I could hardly find time to leave. In the one week that we have been given off since I moved, the club didn’t allow us to leave. Of course I miss my family, but visits are currently hardly possible because the country and especially London is affected by the virus.”
Janelt also talked about the difference between German and English football, and claims to be happy with his first months in England. In fact, he has big plans for the year.
“For me the English league is clearly the best league in the world. So it was relatively clear and easy for me to sign a long-term contract there. The difference for me is that the second division in England is more physically demanding and the individual class of the players is better in my opinion.
“I’m currently very satisfied with my performance and the times I have played. I didn’t think I’d establish myself in the team so quickly.
“For me personally, the focus is on collecting as many minutes of use as possible. Because we have a lot of games in the league, we automatically have a lot of games to play. In addition, there are the respective cup competitions, where we made it to the semi-finals in the Carabao Cup and up to the fourth round in the FA Cup. I haven’t missed a game since I’ve been here. Our goal for this year is clearly to advance to the Premier League.”
