When it comes to producing top-class footballers, Germany has always been a gold mine. Each country has natural characteristics associated with its players -- Serbians tend to be flexible and hardened, Spaniards are elegant and associative, Brazilians use samba as a lifestyle on the pitch, and Germans are known for their intelligence and teamwork.

Vitaly Janelt is the prototypical German player who is always thinking about how he can best improve the team, not in an individual manner, but a collective manner. After spells with Hamburg, RB Leipzig and VfL Bochum, Janelt has emerged as a crucial piece for Thomas Frank's Brentford at 23 years of age, with the Bees challenging for a mid-table spot in their first-ever season in the Premier League.

Positioning

Janelt's role at Brentford is not the most eye-catching, but it is nevertheless one of the most essential roles on the pitch. The German normally positions himself as a midfielder on the left side of Frank's trademark 3-5-2, but he also can adapt to more advanced positions when Frank has to improvise and search for a draw or a comeback, or even shifting into the right side of midfield when Brentford form a 4-3-3 in possession on certain occasions.