TNT Sports revealed the ban Brentford placed on defender Michael Kayode during the game against Liverpool on Saturday night.
Brentford welcomed the Premier League champions to the Gtech Community Stadium and couldn’t have hoped for a better start. A long throw-in from Kayode caused confusion in Liverpool’s penalty area, leading to Dango Ouattara pouncing on a flick from Kristoffer Ajer to open the scoring.
It was yet another goal Liverpool conceded from a set piece, while Kayode’s remarkable throw-in ability continued to draw attention — the Italian quickly establishing himself as one of the league’s most dangerous specialists in that department.
Under new manager Keith Andrews, who was previously the team’s set-piece coach, Brentford have turned Kayode’s throws into a genuine attacking weapon.
However, after his assist for the opener, Kayode attempted two short throw-ins to Jordan Henderson in quick succession, both of which failed to produce results.
On commentary, TNT Sports’ Darren Fletcher, citing information from a reporter near the Brentford bench, revealed that the coaching staff had instructed Kayode to avoid short throws and instead launch the ball into the box at every opportunity.
Co-commentator Ally McCoist jokingly suggested that Kayode might be “fined” if he dared to take another short throw-in.
Brentford soon extended their advantage when Kevin Schade broke in behind Liverpool’s defense and calmly finished for his second goal of the season, courtesy of a delightful Mikkel Damsgaard assist. Milos Kerkez, however, pulled one back for Liverpool just before half-time to keep the contest alive.
The home crowd and players were left outraged when the visitors scored in the 49th minute, despite only three minutes of stoppage time being indicated.
Many fans, however, pointed out that the extended play might have been justified, as several delays occurred while Kayode took time to dry the ball with a towel before his long throw-ins.
Kayode’s Throw-In Mastery
Kayode’s exceptional throw-in ability was first noticed during his time with Gozzano in Italy’s fourth division, and it has continued to improve ever since.
He has produced some of the longest throw-ins in the Premier League this season, contributing to a renewed focus on this once-overlooked aspect of the game.
In an interview with The Times, Kayode recalled how his unique skill first emerged:
“I just tried it once when I was 16 years old. I didn’t train for it — it just came naturally,” he said.
He explained that long throws have always played a key role in his teams’ tactics:
“I used them a lot in Serie D, and then again when I joined Fiorentina’s youth team, and now here at Brentford.”
Kayode added that his simple approach is to “just look for my teammate and throw it”, and mentioned that he dedicates five to ten minutes after training to practice and refine the technique.
