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Beesotted contributor Jacob ‘The Gowler’ Gowler (@BeesBreakdown) gives us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s loss against Liverpool.

Thomas Frank chose a 4-4-2 to face Liverpool at the Gtech. Roerslev, Collins, van den Berg, and Lewis-Potter started along the backline for the fourth consecutive Premier League match. Ben Mee back on the bench with Pinnock still out due to injury. Brentford’s midfield consisted of Yarmoliuk, Janelt, Nørgaard, and Damsgaard with Mbeumo and Wissa the striker pairing up front. 

Arne Slot deployed his typical 4-2-3-1 with Tsimikas, van Dijk, Konatè, and Alexander-Arnold. Mac Allister and Gravenberch the defensive midfielders with Szoboszlai ahead of them. Diaz started up front with Gakpo and Salah the wingers. Liverpool had plenty of options to choose from on the bench, with the likes of Nunez, Chiesa, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott. 

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Even with Liverpool dominating possession and xG, both sides had the same number of big chances missed with 2. This doesn’t take into account Damsgaard almost tapping in a cross or Nørgaard inches away from getting on the end of a freekick.

Throughout 90 minutes, Brentford did a relatively good job keeping Liverpool to 2.98 xG on 35 shots. Brentford blocked 15 of those shots or forced Liverpool into lower xG shots at a distance. After all, Liverpool lead the Premier League in xG and shots on target.

One concerning statistic is the number of deep passes (passes within 20 yards of goal) that Brentford have allowed. In this match, Liverpool completed 23 deep passes, and Brentford have allowed opponents 323 key passes this season (a Premier League high).

Thomas Frank chose to go for the win by bringing Kevin Schade in the 66th minute for Vitaly Janelt. Brentford’s aggressive high press and commitment to counter attacking, allowed Liverpool opportunities to take advantage of transitional moments. The end-to-end match unfortunately concluded with two Darwin Nunez goals, instead of the three points Thomas Frank envisioned.