Beesotted contributors The Gowler and Paul Kowalczyk (@BeesBreakdown) give us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s draw against Brighton
Brentford came out in the same 5-3-2 used versus Brighton at the weekend. Only one change with Roerslev replacing Hickey. The Bees facing a Big 6 club meant the conservative mid and low block would be used where Brentford would look to be compact, narrow, and try to counter. A midweek match, keeping most of the starting XI, is always difficult, but even more so when pressing as aggressively as Brentford. We noted how high Brentford pressed Brighton in our last breakdown, so it was surprising not to see a bit more rotation in the squad.
Manchester United coming off their loss to Newcastle were looking to get back into the top 4. United came out in their usual 4-2-3-1, but with Marcus Rashford at striker instead of Weghorst. Manchester United’s front three of Antony, Rashford, and Sancho gave them fluidity up front. Brentford would set up to prevent 1 on 1 opportunities for those 3.
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Quick Stats:
Possession: Manchester United 65% – 35% Brentford
xG: Manchester United 1.2 – 0.7 Brentford
Shots: Manchester United 18 – 6 Brentford
Shots Outside Box: Manchester United 10 – 2 Brentford
Long Passes: Manchester United 39 (62%) – 26 (45%) Brentford
Other Brentford stats:
Interceptions: 10
Aerial duels won: 17 (43%)
Clearances: 26
Summary
Brentford started out the first half very conservatively, which is no surprise based on tactics from previous matches this season. Thomas Frank is careful when facing Big 6 opponents and even careful away from home against sides lower in the table.
Earlier this season when Brentford beat Manchester City, the Bees started the match exactly the same way, but ended up with much better chances. Against City, Brentford were able to connect on some crucial passes and had more composure in the final third. Ivan Toney’s goal versus City came after a free kick from Raya near the halfway line. Brentford had an identical freekick against United, but weren’t able to capitalize after De Gea easily collected a poor ball from Raya.
Raya was 12/24 (50%) on long balls, which was slightly higher than his percentage on the season. It seemed early in the first half that Raya was misplacing some passes that he would normally automatically connect on. Part of this was due to Manchester United’s pressure and Brentford trying to play through it.
Toney only won 1/6 (17%) aerial duels, which is extremely uncharacteristic of him, but he was still able to win some free headers to flick on to Mbeumo. Mbeumo was only dispossessed once, but a disappointing passing display stifled some Brentford counters. Many times, Brentford would create chances from their pressing or a counter attack, but couldn’t connect on the final pass.
Manchester United scored after one of their 12 corner kicks. Brentford did well to clear the ball and were able to push the line forward. Antony lofted a ball back over the top as Brentford tried to get organized. Brentford did well to push up the line and pressure Antony, but Pinnock barely kept Sabitzer onside. Rashford was in an offside position when Antony played the initial ball, but onside for the second ball that Roerslev wasn’t able to close down.
Thomas Frank did a fantastic job with his substitutions and mid game adjustments. Brentford switched to a 5-2-3 on defence, while more aggressive in a 4-2-4 attacking. This allowed Brentford to hold more possession and start to take control of the match. Most fans will be disappointed Brentford didn’t start the match this way. Brentford didn’t come away with any points, but they proved they can keep up with big clubs when playing possession based attacking football. Schade’s substitution made an immediate impact while Dasilva and Baptiste helped bring on more fresh legs. Unfortunately, Schade was unable to finish his 0.42 xG chance when 1 on 1 with De Gea.
Thomas Frank clearly has players he trusts to implement his complex system, which makes it difficult for new signings to get as much play time as fans would want. Brentford could surely use the help, with tired legs seemingly affecting chance creation against United. Luckily, Brentford only have one more Wednesday night fixture this season. Moving on to hosting Newcastle this weekend will be another difficult challenge as the Bees look to recover after their 5-1 loss at St James’ Park.
