Forward-thinking Brentford have one of the youngest squads in the Championship and perhaps their most impressive signing this season was the loan capture of John Swift from Chelsea.
The 20-year-old has scored three Championship goals for the Bees and recently extended his loan until the end of the season.
With his Chelsea contract up in the summer, Swift is keen to impress his parent club and, thanks to Brentford sponsor Matchbook, Sports Mole caught up with the England Under-21 international.
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You recently extended your loan with Brentford until the end of the season - how do you feel it's gone so far?
"It's going great actually to be fair. I fitted into the team as soon as I came in and the lads have been great. After my initial month was up I wanted to extend it straight away.
"I've really enjoyed it and hopefully we can get back on track and start winning games."
Yeah you guys have lost four in a row and looking at your upcoming fixtures, it doesn't look like it's going to get much easier. Are you confident of getting back to winning ways?
"The whole team is still confident and I think it's just a little dip. Every team has one at some point in the season. We've got great players in the team who are experienced enough to get us out of that.
"As long as we keep pushing and working hard in training, I'm sure we can get back into form."
The recent slide has seen you guys fall nine points behind the playoffs. Is that too big a gap to claw back?
"Everyone at the club wants to reach the playoffs again, especially the players. We obviously have to start playing a lot better than we are now, start winning more games and getting draws in some of the harder ones.
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"I think most of the games that we've lost recently, we didn't deserve to lose. We've been playing well but it's just not quite coming off in the final third at the moment."
You lost to Middlesbrough recently, but that was a close game and you pushed the leaders all the way...
"Yeah. I mean they are a great team, but on the ball I think we controlled the whole game. They are a great defensive team, though, and they counter-attack really well.
"It was hard to break them down because they've got a lot of experienced players and in the end they held on really well."
Like you say, Brentford often control games. Does their possession-based football suit your style?
"Well yeah I watched a lot of them last season and liked the way they keep the ball down and play out from the back. When I first came here I just tried to fit in and keep doing what they normally do.
"I think I've fit in pretty well, I like the way we play and I think it's coming off for us. We still believe it's the right way to get to the playoffs."
It was Lee Carsley that brought you to the club, but now it's Dean Smith in charge. Is it odd having to work under two different managers in quite a short space of time?
"It's never happened to me before. When Lee brought me in I immediately got in with him and he put me straight in the team, which was great. I really enjoyed working with him, but he always said he wasn't going to be there for long.
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"I tried to make the most of my time under him because he was a midfielder as well. With Dean he's settled in well too, put his foot down in training and it's going really well."
Carsley has said that he prefers working with the youth teams - did you notice a particular emphasis on you younger guys?
"Yeah I really got on well with Lee and he kept giving me chances, even if I had a bad game. I really respected that with him. If your'e a manager under pressure you might not play young players, but he's come out of it really well. A great manager to play under."
A lot has been made of Brentford's 'moneyball', analytic-focussed approach, but have you noticed that it's particularly different from your other loans or even at Chelsea?
"I just think that the higher up you come, the more tactical it gets. You're playing against better players and most teams in the Championship take quite a tactical approach now.
"In League One you want to get on the ball and impress, but in the Championship you might get less time and training is much harder at this level - some days you won't do as much on the pitch and do more in the classroom."
So you definitely think it was the right decision to drop down a division and play competitive football in the Championship as opposed to staying with the Chelsea Under-21s?
"Yeah definitely and that's one of the reasons I was so keen to extend my loan. I knew that if I went back to Chelsea I wouldn't slot in the first-team picture and just be with the 21s.
"I started the season with the 21s and didn't really feel that I was gaining much experience because I'm quite used to that level of football. After that first month at Brentford I knew I wanted to stay."
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And your form for Brentford saw you get an England Under-21s call-up in November. How was that?
"I really enjoyed it. It was my first-ever experience with the Under-21s and it was a massive step for me. I wasn't expecting the call, but when it came I was buzzing and I don't think I would have got that opportunity if I wasn't playing regularly for Brentford."
Your Chelsea contract is up this summer - are you confident of securing a new deal with them?
"That's really just between me, my agent and Chelsea. The best thing I can do at the moment is keep playing well and show everyone what I can do. When I'm playing for Brentford I'm not thinking about Chelsea or anything else, just playing for Brentford.
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"It's been a great experience this season and I just want to keep it going."
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Pascal Lemesre
