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

Thomas Frank deployed a 4-2-3-1 with Ajer returning to the backline to join Collins, van den Berg, and Lewis-Potter. Nørgaard and Janelt formed a double pivot with Damsgaard ahead of them. Mbeumo and Schade found themselves on the wing with Wissa through the middle. Thomas Frank had a new option on the bench with new signing Kayode ready to make his debut.

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham side matched up in a 4-2-3-1 with Spence, Davies, Gray, and Porro along the backline. Bentancur and Bissouma the defensive midfielders with Kulusevski the creative attacking midfielder. Son and Mikey Moore started on the wings, joining Richarlison up top. Tottenham’s injury woes limited Ange’s bench options, with Brennan Johnson, Maddison, Solanke, Werner, Udogie, Dragusin, and Romero all injured.

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The advanced statistics suggest Brentford were unlucky to not come away with any points. The Bees racked up 2.06 xG to Tottenham’s 0.86 xG, but both teams struggled with finishing. Brentford only had 0.78 expect Goals on Target (xGOT) while Tottenham ended with 0.44 xGOT.

Brentford’s gift of a goal in the first half allowed Tottenham to protect their lead and not put themselves in any risky situations. This is unusual for a Postecoglou team, where his tactics rarely stray from his principles.

The game state permitted Spurs to sit in a midblock and hold less possession. Tottenham ended with less than 50% possession for the sixth time this season, with Brentford accounting for two of those matches.

Spurs rarely launch goal kicks or long passes, but, in this match, launched the most they have all season. They also ended with a season high 50 clearances, suggesting the threat Brentford provided.

Brentford routinely managed to work through Tottenham’s midblock, but couldn’t connect on final passes and struggled with finishing. Brentford have only underperformed their xG 8 times this season, and this the biggest margin so far. The Bees matched a season high 38 crosses, even connecting on 10 in the box, but failed to score.